ADVERTISEMENT

    Ohioans Ask for Balanced Maps as Public Redistricting Hearings Continue

    BY: SUSAN TEBBEN

    ADVERTISEMENT

    As the public input process begins again for Ohio legislative redistricting, many participants at a Sunday night meeting in Dayton asked for new maps that balance ideologies in the state.

    The testimony at an auditorium at Washington Township RecPlex West went on for hours, with much of it mirroring the feelings of the Fair Districts coalition, who said the map the Ohio Redistricting Commission is currently considering “fails” in constitutionality and representational fairness.

    Various Ohioans pleaded with the ORC to produce maps that avoid extremist views they’ve heard expressed by some state legislators.

    “What you’re doing now is getting rid of all that (election) competition and allowing the crazies and extremists from your party to dictate what happens,” said Matthew Baron-Chapman, of West Chester.

    Baron-Chapman specifically referenced his representative, state Rep. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester, who invited a doctor to a House Health Committee meeting who falsely claimed the COVID-19 vaccination magnetized humans.

    To Gov. Mike DeWine, Baron-Chapman said, “When you make this vote on this map, think about…are you pushing the extremes of your party…or are you going to vote in a way that says I’m looking for people that are looking to build a consensus.”

    The ORC accepted GOP-proposed maps on Friday as a “working document,” committing themselves to compromise as the Sept. 15 deadline approaches for legislative maps.

    Some Dayton residents and commission members debated how the city should be split in the next legislative map.

    “My preference would be to have competitive districts; that would be the priority,” said Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild.

    Commission member and state Auditor Keith Faber conversed with several citizens about whether splitting the city into districts, or keeping the city as compact as possible under the rules of redistricting, would be best for the area.

    “If the goal is to draw competitive districts, and the way Ohioans tend to live around people that think like them…it becomes very difficult to get to those kind of ratios without knowing how those competitive seats are going to line up,” Faber said.

    The commission will have two more hearings on the proposed map. On Monday, the commission will meet at Corporate College East on Richmond Road in Warrensville Heights at 4 p.m. Tuesday’s hearing will happen at 10 a.m. in the House Finance Room of the Ohio Statehouse, with remote testimony coming from citizens at Marietta’s Washington State Community College.

    After the hearings, the commission will meet on the map deadline, Sept. 15, again in the House Finance Room, where they could vote to approve a bipartisan 10-year map or a partisan 4-year map.

    This article was republished with permission from Ohio Capital Journal. For more in Ohio political news, visit www.ohiocapitaljournal.com.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Ohio Colleges Impacted by Supreme Court’s Anti-Diversity Ruling

    At least seven Ohio public universities are reviewing scholarships in the wake of comments Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost made about race-based scholarships after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions. 

    Fracking! Coming Soon to a State Park Near You

    The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission picked the “highest and best” bidders to lease parts of a state park and two wildlife areas for fracking Monday.

    Should Ohio Raise the Cigarette Tax?

    Ohio has the fourth-highest rate of cigarette smoking in the United States, bringing with it all the expenses associated with the sickness and disability caused by smoking. But how to most effectively bring that rate down is a matter of some debate, according to a survey of a panel of Ohio economists that was released last week.

    There’s a Lot Going on in the New Ohio Education Bill

    The Ohio Senate passed a bill requiring Ohio universities and community colleges to be more transparent with costs but not before tacking on more than $1.4 billion in state spending proposals.

    Report: Ohio Prosecuted Over 200 HIV-Related Crimes Last Decade

    A new report from two Ohio organizations shows more than 200 cases of “HIV-related prosecutions” in Ohio.
    Ohio Capital Journal
    Ohio Capital Journalhttps://ohiocapitaljournal.com
    The Ohio Capital Journal is a hard-hitting, independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to connecting Ohioans to their state government and its impact on their lives. The Capital Journal combines Ohio state government coverage with relentless investigative journalism, deep dives into the consequences of policy, political insight and principled commentary.
    ADVERTISEMENT