Leader Russo calls gerrymandered GOP maps "an insult to Ohio voters"

COLUMBUS–Ohio Redistricting Commission member and House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) issued a statement today after Republican Commission members voted to pass partisan state legislative maps that fail to comply with the Constitutional and Court requirement that maps must reflect the statewide preferences of Ohio voters who voted 54% Republican and 46% Democratic over the last ten years. If approved by the Supreme Court, the maps will last for only four years.

“Republican commissioners had a second chance to do right by Ohioans and produce fair maps, but they instead chose to prioritize partisan politics over their Constitutional duty yet again. These gerrymandered maps are an insult to Ohio voters who overwhelmingly demanded fair maps not once, but twice. 

“Democrats clearly demonstrated with their proposal that this Commission could draw fair maps that closely reflect the statewide voting preferences of Ohioans in the past decade and comply with other voter-approved constitutional requirements. Republicans refused to negotiate in good faith, and they also silenced Ohioans by refusing to allow public input. The Republican Commissioners should be ashamed because their lack of political courage has set these maps up to be ruled unconstitutional by the Court once more. Ohio voters deserve better.” 

The Republican state legislative maps would create 57 Republican seats and 42 Democratic seats in the Ohio House, and 20 Republican seats and 13 Democratic seats in the Ohio Senate. Democrats introduced a map proposal that would have created 54 Republican-leaning districts and 45 Democratic-leaning districts in the Ohio House, and 18 Republican-leaning districts and 15 Democratic-leaning districts in the Ohio Senate.