COLUMBUS — The effort to draw new boundaries for Ohio’s 15 U.S. congressional districts has officially moved into phase two.
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The Ohio Redistricting Commission held it’s first meeting Tuesday, Oct. 21, our news partners WBNS-10 TV reported. The meeting lasted less than 30 minutes with no agreement on a bipartisan map.
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Democrats once again testified in support of the congressional district map they proposed that would create eight districts that favor Republicans and seven that favor Democrats.
“The map we have put forward represents a fair, constitutional proposal,” House Minority Leader and Ohio Redistricting Commission Member State Rep. Dani Isaacsohn (D- Cincinnati) said.
Under the current map, Republicans hold 10 of the state’s 15 seats in Congress, WBNS-10 TV reported.
So far, Republicans have not proposed a map.
WBNS-10 TV asked Ohio Redistricting Commission Co-Chair State Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) if there was a Republican map proposal forthcoming.
“I think there’s discussions ongoing and there have been, frankly, for weeks between leadership of the Republican Party and leadership of the Democratic Party,” Stewart said. “If those discussions start to bear fruit, you’ll see map here in this commission. But I think the ball is kind of in the Democrats’ court to decide what deal they are or are not willing to take.”
Democrats accuse the Republicans of dragging their feet, WBNS-10 TV reported.
“If it’s slow-walked through the month of October, it leads to November when the Republican majority can just pass a map of their own with only their members voting,” Senate Minority Leader and Commission Co-Chair Nickie Antonio (D- Lakewood) said.
“That’s not true,” Stewart said. “We’re following the process.”
Antonio suggested Democrats may ask Ohio voters to repeal any map Republican lawmakers might pass in November, WBNS-10 TV reported.
She says she spoke with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries about that possibility.
Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn said that there is national enthusiasm for such a referendum in Ohio.
“I think people are fired up by the prospect of getting access to fair maps that they deserve,” Isaacsohn said.
“I mean, obviously that’s a consideration when we’re deciding, you know, both sides have pros and cons depending which road you want to go down,” Stewart said. “Republicans have the ability in a phase three to pass a map with a simple majority vote, but there are some downstream effects of that if folks want to go that route.”
The commission did not take public comment on Tuesday. When the meeting ended early after only 28 minutes, many in the audience expressed their displeasure with the lack of progress, shouting “do your job,” “represent us”, and “thanks for nothing,” WBNS-10 TV reported.
The commission will hold another meeting within the next 10 days, according to Stewart.
If the Ohio Redistricting Commission does not pass a bipartisan map by the end of October, the process will go back to the General Assembly, where Republicans could pass a map with no support from Democrats, WBNS-10 TV reported.
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