COLUMBUS, OH — Yesterday evening, in an act of stunning lawlessness and arrogance, four majority members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission (Gov. DeWine, Sec. Of State LaRose, state Senator McColley, and Rep. Jeff LaRe) voted to adopt a set of General Assembly maps that have already been struck down as unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court.

The Ohio Supreme Court had given the Commission 22 days to draw a new set of Ohio House and Senate maps that would comply with the anti-gerrymandering redistricting reforms voted in by over 70% in 2015. These Commissioners decided not even to try. They voted down the minority members’ suggestion to pass the maps created by the independent mappers and instead chose a map that has already been rejected by the court.  

Statement of Catherine Turcer, Common Cause Ohio Executive Director 

The Republican commissioners’ vote to adopt a map that was found unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court is nothing less than an assault on the voters. 

For nearly a year, the majority members have intentionally acted in bad faith, ignored the will of the voters, the rules in the Ohio Constitution and clear direction from the Ohio Supreme Court.  Nonetheless, Ohioans of all backgrounds remain united in our fight for fair maps. Why? To put it simply: Because Ohioans deserve better. 

Even after nine months of lawlessness, this latest stunt is still shocking in its brazenness.   

The Republican members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission have sabotaged the process from start to finish. When the Ohio Supreme Court struck down the Commission’s fourth set of gerrymandered maps in April, the Court gave 22 days to submit fair maps before Friday, May 6. Despite the deadline, the Ohio Redistricting Commission waited until just 48 hours before the deadline to hold a public meeting and then passed state legislative maps that had already been found to be unconstitutional.