} Ohio is divided into 15 congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives.After the 2010 census, Ohio lost two House seats due to slow population growth compared to the national average, and a new map was signed into law on September 26, 2011. Other states, such as North Carolina and Maryland, have already pushed back their primary dates due to delays in redistricting. The. LAROSE LEADS REPUBLICANS IN RACE TO CHALLENGE OHIO SEN. SHERROD BROWN, POLL SAYS. Columbus, OH 43215. The maps can be viewed here. A majority-minority district is one in which a racial group or groups comprise a majority of the district's populations. Ohio Supreme Court tosses fourth legislative map in chaotic After seeing a flurry of proposed maps and changes to those maps, the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted a Republican-drawn congressional district plan. There were ten mildly competitive House races in 2012, compared to nine in 2010. .partytd.Green { Congress may also pass laws regulating congressional elections. Consequently, a state may gain seats in the House if its population grows or lose seats if its population decreases, relative to populations in other states. Members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission have until March 8, 4 p.m. to respond to the lawsuit. [52] Senate President Matt Huffman (R), a member of the commission, estimated that the new maps would create 62 Republican seats and 37 Democratic seats in the House, and 23 Republican seats and 10 Democratic seats in the Senate. Enter your full address below to find your district and representative on the map. Ohio legislative seats will be drawn by the seven-member redistricting panel. Looming over the redistricting process and questions about the primary is a federal lawsuit filed by a group of Republican voters. More time means everything," says Miller. The defendants countered that the population deviations resulted from legally defensible efforts to comply with the Voting Rights Act and obtain approval from the United States Department of Justice. The NDAA, which passed the House last week, is filled with restrictions on abortion access and transgender rights in the military, which could also drive centrist voters away from the Republican Party. Below is the state House map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. [56] On February 24, the Ohio Redistricting Commission voted 4-3 to approve new legislative maps. While polling varies, some early surveys show that Trump may have a better chance of beating Biden than other candidates, such as Gov. Jen Miller, executive director for the League of Women Voters of Ohio, says lawmakers should delay the primary so that confused voters can catch up with what's happening. [45] On February 9, 2022, legislative leaders said they would not draw a new map, meaning the Ohio Redistricting Commission assumed responsibility for drawing the map.[46]. Utah Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over G.O.P. Map Splitting Salt Lake Ohio was apportioned 15 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, 1 fewer than it received after the 2010 census. Depending on a ruling in the federal court case, state lawmakers will have to make a . Ohio redistricting: Justices reject legislative maps, primary in doubt [51], The Ohio Redistricting Commission approved new state legislative district maps by a 5-2 vote on September 16, 2021. All rights reserved. Federal law prohibits racial gerrymandering and establishes that, to combat this practice and to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act, states and jurisdictions can create majority-minority electoral districts. The Republicans in Ohio have done absolutely everything they can to maintain their unearned supermajorities so they can maintain power without ever being accountable to the people in this state, said state House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes. Redistricting 2 . For the first time, Republican and Democratic lawmakers are now working together to try and draw new districts that the Ohio Supreme Court may allow to move forward. [20], In Cooper v. Harris, decided on May 22, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed the judgment of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, finding that two of North Carolina's congressional districts, the boundaries of which had been set following the 2010 United States Census, had been subject to an illegal racial gerrymander in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Andrew Welsh-Huggins/AP Trump could face a second federal indictment and third overall after Smith reportedly sent him a target letter alerting him he was the subject of another criminal investigation this one stemming from his actions during and after the 2020 election that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Ohio's top elected officials say it's still possible for the state to hold a primary on May 3, even with the pending status of the new district maps. Search Legislation | Ohio Legislature Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima,said the new maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commissionwould give Republicans a 54-45 advantage in the House and an 18-15 advantage in the Senate. In June, the Supreme Court ruled against Republicans in two significant cases: Allen v. Milligan out of Alabama and Robinson v. Ardoin out of Louisiana. Voter rights advocates gather in a church in downtown Columbus, Ohio, for an anti-gerrymandering rally on Sept. 21, 2021. For additional background information about these cases, click "[Show more]" below. The In the mid-1960s, the United States Supreme Court issued a series of rulings in an effort to clarify standards for state legislative redistricting. By Jane C. Timm. It is not only harming our state, it is harming our democracy and devastating the public trust that people have in their government.. [5] On March 18, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to overturn the map before the state's primary elections as part of the legal challenge that overturned the initial congressional map. Design and development by Ryan Best and Aaron Bycoffe. With the threat of a delayed primary and penalties from the Ohio Supreme Court, four Republicans approved a third set of state House and Senate maps over the objections of Democrats and GOP Auditor Keith Faber. If the legislature fails to pass a map, redistricting falls to a bipartisan commission made up of statewide elected officials and state legislators. On Jan. 14, the Ohio Supreme Court invalidated the congressional map enacted by Ohios Republican legislature and governor in November. [] What I am sure in my heart is that this committee could have come up with a bill that was much more clearly constitutional.[68]. External Relations: Moira Delaney Hannah Nelson Caroline Presnell The . If the legislature fails a second time, the majority party of the legislature, without support from the minority party, can adopt a map that would apply for four years. Democrats eye Wisconsin high court's new liberal majority to win With a razor-thin majority in the House, Republicans cannot afford to lose a single seat. If the map passes on a party-line vote, it will only be in effect for the next two elections and need to be replaced in four years. That would translate to three Democratic Senate seats and one virtual tossup that stretches from Dublin to Madison and Pickaway counties. There is no current redistricting lawsuit, but Democrats or their allies are expected to file a new challenge this summer seeking new districts before the 2024 election. They are set to meet Tuesday. The Ohio Redistricting Commission has until March 28 to adopt a fourth set of state legislative district maps. Difference between the partisan lean of the states median district and the state as a whole. Obviously, we don't want to create further confusion to the voters," Hall says. The Ohio Redistricting Commission has until March 28 to adopt a fourth set of state legislative district maps. On May 3, 2019, a three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ruled unanimously that Ohio's congressional district plan constituted an illegal partisan gerrymander. A federal court ruling on Ohio's legislative maps took effect on May 28, which ordered maps drawn by the Ohio Redistricting Commission in February be used for the 2022 elections and set a legislative primary date of August 2, 2022. In Hamilton County, Democrats could likely win five of sevenHouse seats with the two GOP-friendly districts in the western part of the county. On May 10, 2019, state officials petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States for a stay of the lower court's ruling. Sign up now to get the Washington Examiners breaking news and timely commentary delivered right to your inbox. Roberts was joined in the majority opinion by Associate Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. State representatives are elected every two years in partisan elections. } By, Ohio congressional candidates file petitions while elections officials plug-in new maps, Redistricting officials argue for and against Ohio's legislative maps in court filings, Redistricting commission adopts Ohio congressional district map over objections by Democrats. A second primary could also cost the state as much as $25 million. Research and additional contributions by Nathaniel Rakich, Galen Druke, Kaleigh Rogers, Alex Samuels, Geoffrey Skelley, Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux, Monica Potts, Mackenzie Wilkes, Jean Yi, Sydnie Cobb, Oren Oppenheim and Tina Yin. Cottrill cautioned, however, that non-legislative approaches "contribute neither to decreased vote percentages when incumbents win elections nor to a greater probability of their defeat. The court's opinion, penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, did not address the broader question of whether partisan gerrymandering claims are justiciable and remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings. Ohio comprises 33 state Senate districts and 99 state House districts. North Carolina Democratic chairwoman urges Biden to campaign in state, says Democrats have 'showing up problem', Pence says US does not need to choose between fixing country's problems and supporting Ukraine, McCarthy calls on Supreme Court to 'rein in' administrative state in upcoming case, Texas adults smash windshield to rescue infant trapped in blistering car, White House zeroes in on DeSantis ahead of Emmett Till monument announcement, Trump loses law enforcement endorsement he had in 2020 to DeSantis, House faces hefty to-do list in last week before August recess. background-color: #6db24f; The lawsuit criticizes Huffman's assessment of the mapmaking process calling his stance a "fundamental misdirection.". They are asking a panel of three federal judges to review the situation in Ohio and to ultimately order the Feb. 24 maps to be used in the May 3 primary. } This opinion was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy. [50] This data was compiled by Daily Kos Elections. In 2012, 14.6 percent of the contests studied saw competitive general elections. Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio. Special Events 2 . Justices have struck down three versions of Republican-drawn state legislative maps for being unconstitutional. | Voter rights advocates gather in a church in downtown Columbus, Ohio, for an anti-gerrymandering rally on Sept. 21, 2021. LIVE | The Ohio Channel Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2022 - Ballotpedia For additional background information about gerrymandering, click "[Show more]" below. According to All About Redistricting, "it has become accepted that a [redistricting] plan will be constitutionally suspect if the largest and smallest districts [within a state or jurisdiction] are more than 10 percent apart."[13]. A statement from the commission explaining the manner by which districts were allocated said: "The Commission considered statewide state and federal partisan general election results during the last ten years. Secretary of State Frank LaRose . Starting in the 2022 midterms, per the 2020 United States census, Ohio will lose a congressional seat. table#officeholder-table th, td { padding:5px; font-size: 16px; } [43] The Ohio House of Representatives voted 55-36 to approve the map on November 18. It is sad and unfortunate that we are here at this point today. Counties | HIGHLIGHTS Following the 2020 United States Census, Ohio was apportioned 15 congressional districts, one less than the number it had after the 2010 census. Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2022. . More centrist GOP candidates may also be appealing across the board, especially after the 2022 midterm elections saw several Trump-endorsed candidates sweep away centrist Republicans in the primaries only to fall to Democrats in pivotal races. When considering the results of each of those elections, the Commission determined that Republican candidates won thirteen out of sixteen of those elections. The court's majority opinion was penned by Justice Stephen Breyer. [36][37], On November 3, 2015, voters in Ohio approved a constitutional amendment to create a bipartisan state legislative redistricting commission. Federal court intervenes in Ohio redistricting, orders state to text-align: center; Ohio House Dems submit congressional redistricting maps The former president has been indicted twice: once in New York on state criminal charges of falsifying business records and once in federal court following special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents. Other GOP lawmakers and leaders, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), are digging their heels in and throwing their support behind the former president no matter what. The goal of the amendment was to encourage lawmakers in both parties to work together in redistricting and produce maps that reflect the states political orientation. March 29, 2022. Thats what they wanted, said state Rep. Richard Brown, the leading Democrat on the state Houses Government Oversight committee. Following the 2020 United States Census, Ohio was apportioned 15 congressional districts, one less than the number it had after the 2010 census. State senators are elected every four years in partisan elections. And it has virtually the same Republican-friendly efficiency gap (R+16). In Reynolds v. Sims, the court ruled that "the Equal Protection Clause [of the United States Constitution] demands no less than substantially equal state legislative representation for all citizens, of all places as well as of all races." No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color. In 2012, Jennifer Clark, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said, "The redistricting process has important consequences for voters. "[13], The United States Constitution is silent on the issue of state legislative redistricting.
Ohio voters in 2018 overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that put guardrails on state legislators ahead of the next redistricting. "I do a lot of doors, and I do a lot of yard signs to get our message out. UPDATED Jul. [70][71] The high court granted the stay on May 24, 2019. The Ohio Supreme Court struck down GOP-drawn state House and Senate district maps as unconstitutional gerrymandering in a 4-3 decision Wednesday, sending the . On April 20, 2016, the court ruled unanimously that the plaintiffs had failed to prove that a partisan gerrymander had taken place. If the commission proves unable to adopt a map, state legislators will be given a second chance to adopt a map. Objections have been filed against Ohios new Congressional district map approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission earlier this week. After blowing past two deadlines to pass a new congressional map with bipartisan support, the Republican-controlled legislature ended up passing a heavily biased congressional map all on its own. In 1964, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Wesberry v. Sanders that the populations of House districts must be equal "as nearly as practicable. 2020 United States redistricting cycle - Wikipedia But Huffman says those certain sections, including the requirement to not draw maps that unduly favor one party over another, do not apply to the Ohio Redistricting Commission at this point in the mapmaking process. In 2015, 72% of Ohio voters passed a new process that sought to eliminate political gerrymandering in state legislative districts. "When you try to draw a 54-45 map, you have to, in my opinion, gerrymander for the other side.". Click here for more information on maps enacted after the 2020 census. Click the dates below for additional information. The majority opinion was penned by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Major events include the release of apportionment data, the release of census population data, the introduction of formal map proposals, the enactment of new maps, and noteworthy court challenges. It has five competitive districts, with six Republican-leaning districts and four Democratic-leaning districts. But the GOP, which controls every lever of state government in Ohio, is instead moving at break-neck speed on congressional lines that could favor the party in 13 of its 15 districts. Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measure(s) relating to redistricting in Ohio. At issue was the constitutionality of state legislative districts that were created by the commission in 2012. The filing deadline was February 2, 2022. ", February 7, 2022, Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, Election legislation tracking: weekly digest, Election legislation tracking: list of sub-topics, Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy, Michelle Robinson, Senior Product Manager, Education & School Boards, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Redistricting_in_Ohio&oldid=9091229, Pages using DynamicPageList3 parser function, Pages using DynamicPageList3 dplreplace parser function, contact our editorial staff or report an error, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policy, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections.