(The Center Square) – Less than 24 hours after a joint legislative committee missed its deadline to develop new, bipartisan congressional maps, Democrats called on Gov. Mike DeWine to immediately bring together the Ohio Redistricting Commission.
DeWine, however, is remaining silent.
Dan Tierney, spokesman for DeWine, told The Center Square on Wednesday that the governor was aware of the Democrats’ call but had no comment.
“On behalf of the people of Ohio, we respectfully write to you today as members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission with an urgent request to immediately convene the Commission so we can carry out our constitutionally mandated duty to pass a fair, constitutional congressional map by the end of the month,” a letter from Senate Democratic Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, and House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, D-Cincinnati, to DeWine reads.
Like the joint legislative committee, the Ohio Redistricting Commission is majority Republicans. It consists of the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, Senate president, and House speaker – all Republicans, along with the Senate and House minority leaders.
Democrats say the commission is constitutionally required to produce maps supported by both parties by Oct. 31, citing language in the constitution that says the commission “shall adopt a congressional district plan not later than the last day of October.”
The letter reads in part, “We take our oath to uphold the Ohio Constitution and its requirements to pass a bipartisan map gravely serious. We are prepared to take exceptional steps to meet those requirements. Per our request, we commit to you that, with at least 24 hours’ notice, we are prepared to meet at any location, at any time, on any day within the next week to begin the process of helping the commission do its job to pass a map.”
The committee had until Tuesday to pass bipartisan maps but failed to hold a vote on Democrat-produced districts, while Republicans failed to publicly show any new districts.
If the commission does not pass bipartisan maps by the end of the month, the General Assembly can pass new maps with a simple majority and without any votes from Democrats.
However, the state constitution requires those maps to comply with anti-gerrymandering provisions, which include no plan favoring or disfavoring one political party and districts must resemble voting percentages from the last 10 years in statewide and federal elections.
Republicans hold 10 of the state’s 15 U.S. House seats. In the last 10 years, Ohioans have voted 54% for Republicans in federal elections. Based on the state constitution, congressional districts should be split 8-7 in favor of the GOP.
