Commission poised to pass a new congressional map

On Mar 2, 2022

Republicans proposed a new congressional map on March 1.

Ohio is poised to pass a new congressional map Wednesday, just days before candidates must decide whether to run.

On Tuesday, Republicans proposed a new map that would help the GOP hold onto at least 10 of 15 seats – and win as many as 13 in a solid Republican year.

Republicans comprise 12 of 16 members of Ohio’s current congressional delegation, but Ohio will lose a seat because its population grew at a slower rate than the nation’s over the past decade.

See the GOP map on Dave’s Redistricting App, the popular redistricting tool.

Democrats on the seven-member Ohio Redistricting Commission, which is tasked with approving maps, hope to make some changes to bring the plan more in line with Ohioans’ voting preferences: about 54% for Republican candidates and 46% for Democratic candidates.

The Ohio Supreme Court rejected the first map passed by GOP lawmakers and signed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Justice Michael Donnelly, writing for the 4-3 majority, said it was “infused with undue partisan bias.” The court pointed to splits in Hamilton, Summit and Cuyahoga counties, in particular, as problems.

Under the new map, Hamilton County is divided once instead of twice. However, the city of Cincinnati, which voted 76.5% for President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump in 2020, is still linked to Warren County, which voted 64.7% for Trump.

Summit County, split once in the rejected map, is no longer divided. That creates a more Democratic 13th congressional district than the first map crafted. State Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, is running for that seat.

Cleveland’s Cuyahoga County is divided into two congressional districts rather than three in the rejected map.

The map could last for 10 years if the two Democrats on the Ohio Redistricting Commission approve it. Without their support, the map would last for four years.