Redistricting Commission Again Fails To Pass Legislative Map

It’s unclear how the Ohio Supreme Court will proceed after members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission failed to produce a map of House and Senate districts that complies with the Ohio Constitution before the court’s deadline, putting the state’s primary in question.

The Ohio Supreme Court threw out the previous two maps as unconstitutional and set a midnight deadline for a third set of maps – but, after Democrats introduced an alternative map, Republicans shot that down, leading to this impasse.

Lawmakers adjourned just after 5 o’clock – still with seven hours until the deadline – because they could not come to an agreement on the state’s new legislative maps.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who sits on the 7 member Ohio Redistricting Commission, says the state needs finality on this issue.

“We need to decide quickly between approving a map that the court can find acceptable or the legislature wrestling with the tough challenges of deciding to change the date of the primary.”

Ohio’s primary is scheduled for May 3rd.