State legislative leaders have formed a four-member bipartisan group to work on creating a new way to redraw Ohio’s Congressional district map, which will be redone after the 2020 census. But supporters of an effort already underway to change the map drawing process aren’t backing down.
Lawmakers have been considering Congressional redistricting for years, but the goal of this group is a plan to present to voters in May. But Catherine Turcer with Common Cause Ohio said 142,000 signatures have already been gathered by nonpartisan groups for their 2018 proposed ballot issue. “We will not get derailed by the legislative effort just because it’s hard to believe it will actually come to fruition," Turcer said.
The legislative plan will likely keep the Congressional map drawing process with state lawmakers. The nonpartisan groups’ plan transfers that authority to the bipartisan commission that voters approved in 2015 to draw new maps for state lawmakers’ districts – a proposal that was created by lawmakers and endorsed by the nonpartisan groups.
