House Democrats applaud second opportunity to draw fair, constitutional Congressional maps that best reflect Ohio

COLUMBUS – House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) today issued a statement after the Ohio Supreme Court struck down the Congressional map. 

“Twice this week, the Ohio Supreme Court has delivered major wins for Ohio voters and said clearly and firmly that partisan gerrymandering is an abuse of power. These decisions would not have been possible without the hundreds of Ohioans who testified that these maps do not live up to the reforms they overwhelmingly passed not once, but twice.

“We now have another opportunity to draw fair, 10-year maps that best reflect the preferences of Ohio voters and uphold the requirements enshrined in the Ohio Constitution. Democrats are ready to conduct an open and transparent process to draw fair maps that allow better representation for all Ohioans.”

The Congressional map was passed by the legislature in November 2021 without any Democratic support, and would have unduly favored Republican candidates 13-2. The map was ruled unconstitutional because it did not comply with the core anti-gerrymandering provisions of the Ohio Constitution. A new, 10-year Congressional map would require 60% support in each chamber of the legislature with at least 50% of Democrats.