Democrats Urge DeWine to Redraw State Board of Education Districts
COLUMBUS – This week, Ohio Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko (D-Richmond Heights) and Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) sent a letter to Governor Mike DeWine urging him to draw legal State Board of Education districts prior to the August 10 filing deadline for State Board of Education candidates.
“The public has already faced substantial confusion due to the refusal by the majority of the Ohio Redistricting Commission to pass constitutional district plans,” Leader Yuko and Leader Russo wrote. “This has already resulted in an expensive double primary. The state should not add to this confusion by failing to designate lawful Board of Education district boundaries.”
On January 31, 2022, Governor DeWine signed a letter of designation to establish boundaries for the State Board of Education districts based on the Senate district map adopted by the Ohio Redistricting Commission on January 22, 2022. However, since the Supreme Court of Ohio found that General Assembly district plan to be unconstitutional, the Board of Education districts are now inaccurate.
The Board of Education districts – which must consist of three contiguous state Senate districts – should instead follow the lines established by the third General Assembly district plan. Map 3 was adopted by the Ohio Redistricting Commission on February 24, 2022, and mandated for use in the 2022 election cycle by a federal court.
“While these district boundaries were also found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Ohio, they are the districts a federal court panel imposed on voters,” Leader Yuko and Leader Russo said.
**EDITOR’S NOTE: Full letter attached.