Current:Home > Contact-usBipartisan Ohio commission unanimously approves new maps that favor Republican state legislators-InfoLens
Bipartisan Ohio commission unanimously approves new maps that favor Republican state legislators
View Date:2024-12-23 11:34:00
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s political map-making commission unanimously approved new Statehouse maps Tuesday night, moving a step closer to resolving a long-running redistricting battle.
The state’s lengthy saga over the new political boundaries required to be drawn after every U.S. Census has been riddled with lawsuits and repeated court rulings finding previous maps were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor the state’s leading Republicans.
The new state House and Senate maps are poised to last into the 2030 election cycle, pending legal hurdles, and, like their predecessors, give the GOP an advantage statewide.
Under the plan, Republicans would have an advantage in roughly 62% of the House seats and 70% of the Senate seats. By contrast, the state’s partisan breakdown, averaged over the period from 2012 to 2020, was about 54% Republican and 46% Democratic. Republicans currently hold a supermajority in each of the state legislative chambers.
State Sen. Rob McColley, a Henry County Republican who served on the Ohio Redistricting Commission, said in a statement that the vote proved that bipartisan “good faith negotiations” in the redistricting process produce results, and that he’s “very pleased” with those results.
The final maps deliver Democrats more competitive seats than first proposed at the beginning of the latest round of redistricting negotiations last week — negotiations that got off to a slow start after a 16-month hiatus, thanks to Republican infighting over commission leadership.
However, the 7-member commission’s two Democrats did not appear to see this as a win as much as a necessary compromise.
“We collectively produced better, fairer maps,” Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, the commission’s co-chair, said in a news release. “However, this cycle of redistricting has made it clear that this process does not belong in the hands of politicians.”
Antonio’s statement comes amid plans to put a constitutional amendment on next year’s ballot creating a citizen-led commission to replace the current Redistricting Commission, which is comprised of three statewide elected officials and four state lawmakers. Former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who retired last year, is helping the effort, which calls itself Citizens Not Politicians.
The amendment would replace the current commission with a 15-person citizen-led commission made up of Republicans, Democrats and independents.
O’Connor, a Republican who cast a series of key swing votes against last year’s maps, said in a statement that trust has been lost in both Democrats and Republicans thanks to the compromise.
“What happened last night has real consequences: when maps are gerrymandered to protect politicians, it means citizens can’t hold their politicians accountable,” O’Connor said in a statement.
Ohio is among more than 20 states where redistricting efforts following the 2020 census remain in contention, either because of ongoing lawsuits or efforts to redraw the districts.
___
Samantha Hendrickson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
veryGood! (199)
Related
- All the Ways Megan Fox Hinted at Her Pregnancy With Machine Gun Kelly
- Is Ringling Bros. still the 'Greatest Show on Earth' without lions, tigers or clowns?
- Find Out When Your Favorite Late Night TV Shows Are Returning Post-Writers Strike
- Anti-vax pet parents put animals at risk, study shows. Why experts say you shouldn't skip your dog's shots.
- Darren Criss on why playing a robot in 'Maybe Happy Ending' makes him want to cry
- Britain approves new North Sea oil drilling, delighting the industry but angering critics
- New gun control laws in California ban firearms from most public places and raise taxes on gun sales
- Donald Trump’s lawyers ask judge to clarify fraud ruling’s impact on ex-president’s business
- Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
- A Jim Crow satire returns to Broadway after 62 years — and it's a romp, not a relic
Ranking
- All Social Security retirees should do this by Nov. 20
- Israel strikes militant sites in Gaza as unrest continues, no casualties
- Gymnastics Ireland issues ‘unreserved’ apology for Black gymnast medal snub
- Judge considers accusations that New Mexico Democrats tried to dilute votes with redistricting map
- Why Dolly Parton Is a Fan of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Little Love Affair
- Flight attendant found dead with sock lodged in her mouth in airport hotel room
- Zoologist Adam Britton, accused of torturing animals, pleads guilty to beastiality and child abuse charges
- France’s sexual equality watchdog says violent porn is sowing seeds for real-world sexual violence
Recommendation
-
Birth control and abortion pill requests have surged since Trump won the election
-
Moose on the loose in Stockholm subway creates havoc and is shot dead
-
Film academy to replace Hattie McDaniel's historic missing Oscar at Howard University
-
High school football coach resigns after team used 'Nazi' play call during game
-
Singles' Day vs. Black Friday: Which Has the Best Deals for Smart Shoppers?
-
British Museum seeks public help in finding stolen artifacts
-
Watch: Rare 'Dumbo' octopus seen during a deep-sea expedition
-
USDA expands access to free school breakfast and lunch for more students