The leader of the minority of the Senate Nicke Antonio, D-Lakewood, extremely to the right, speaks at the second meeting of the Congress Redistriction Committee. On Tuesday’s meeting took place on the first date for legislation to adopt a double -sided map. No action was taken during the meeting. (Photo Susan Tebben/Ohio Capital Journal)
The legislators of Ohio Statehouse missed their first date of the redistribution of the Congress, and Republican legislators defended the removal to make this process to the Ohio Redistriction Commission without introducing them or negotiations on the map.
The constitutional amendment adopted by Ohio voters in 2018 required legislators to negotiate in good faith and try to pass a double -sided map by September 30, before the trial goes to the Redistriction Commission.
The Congress Redistriction Committee met on Tuesday at the House financial committee for the second meeting of the month, on the day of the first date mentioned in the Ohio Constitution for adopting a bilateral map.
The committee began with the leader of the Senate Nicke Antonio to support a democratic map proposal, which is still the only map that was formally introduced by both sides of the General Assembly.
The democratic map presents the division of eight Republican districts and seven -based democratic circles in the Congress delegation, which, they claim, came from the average decade of voting results.
This average means a state indicator of 56% of Republicans to 43% of Democrats.
The current map has 10 republican and five democratic districts, for 66% of republican control.
During the meeting, republican legislators argued that the constitution was not required by average of the last decades of voice trends.
Antonio’s testimony and legislators’ questions were once again explained that this process will be continued until October, and voting will not take place on the democratic map.
“I am pragmatic enough to know … that (legislators transferring a map with double -sided support) is not only unlikely, but impossible,” said Antonio. “We don’t have a session today.”
The sessions “if necessary”, which were planned for both Ohio House and the Ohio Senate, were canceled before Tuesday’s meeting, indicating that the committee would not vote for the map.
Representative of the state Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, stated that Antonio on September 30 omitted the clauses of the Ohio Constitution that would come after her.
“Can we simply agree that there are two options in the constitution here, and not transferring the map by September 30 there is no violation of any time, right?” Stewart asked.
Antonio replied, saying that people “really wanted us, in this first step, to take this opportunity to cooperate in a two -sided way.”
According to the Constitution, if the double -sided map is not adopted by the end of September, the trial goes to the OHIO RedistRination Commission with the date of October 31.
If no double -sided map comes out of the committee, making decisions returns to the general assembly.
The map can be adopted at this point without double -sided support with a elementary voting to most until November 30.
On Last week, committee meeting. “In the next few months. “
“I know that everyone wanted to do something today,” said Bird, “But we still have a few months and we still have time to talk.”
Co-chairman State Senator Jane Timken, R-Jackson Twp., He also maintained the argument that she said during the last meeting that although democratic legislators are looking for a “honest map”, honesty is not a word used in the constitutional process of redistribution.
“The word” honesty “is not in the constitution (in relation to the redisting), right?” Timken asked, causing laughter in the committee’s room.
Antonio said that it is hard to talk about representation in drawing districts without taking into account honesty.
“Honesty was part of the will of the people, so through this lens we used honest measurement to see how people vote, especially in national elections,” said Antonio.
Ohioan, who spoke to support a democratic proposal, noticed the lack of testimonies of the opposition to the democratic map and once again accused the committee of lack of transparency.
A mathematics teacher and a resident of Columbus, Tom Reardon, counted over 140 testimonies submitted at the last meeting.
“What percentage of testimony was about gerrymandering, what is now performed in our state? The answer is zero – Reardon told the committee. “Nobody came and did not support what you were talking about.”
There was one person who came to Tuesday’s meeting who did not support a democratic map.
Paul Miller was Active in the last round of the Congress RedistributionPresenting your own proposal and accusing “liberal activists” of a mess with this process.
His testimony submitted on Tuesday continued this message, and claims that “democratic activists were completely dishonest.”
“In any case, a real issue persists with the current incarnation of their plan to overturn Republican places in the fact that they do it at all,” said Miller in his written testimony. “Instead of fighting Republicans among themselves in the basic ones, now they want to pull them out just before the actual elections.”
A resident of Columbus, Pari Sabeta, said that the hourly discussion, which took place before she spoke, did not change the opinion about how this process was going.
“There is no transparency here,” said Sabeta. “Let’s explain that in this process you are holding the rule, you are Nadpokren and you managed to slow down this process to match your goal.”
No negotiations
In the matter of claims of republican legislators that Democrats are trying Gerrymander through their proposal, Antonio referred to the comments of the deputy minority representation of Rep. Desiree Tims, D-Jaton, at the last week’s meeting.
“The minority has no legislative power or majority, not to mention the ability to Gerrymander,” said Antonio.
Members of the Republican Committee also pointed to comments, which indicated that the Democrats would not agree to a map less than 8-7.
“Democrats said” 8-7, take it or leave it, “said the representative of State DJ Swearingen, R-Huron. “So what should the Republicans do … After we hear something like this?”
Antonio denied that “take it or leave it” and said that “she saddened that I was not communicating as well as I thought … that we were open to discussion.”
“I am always open to discussion from the very beginning,” said Antonio.
In fact, Antonio said that she contacted the republican management before the trial began to ask about the plan.
“I knocked on the door, quietly, with respect, individually,” said Antonio. “… I got the answer, which sounded:” Something is coming. “
Bird and Timken told journalists after postponing that they did not know any discussions without action by their Republican clubs about drawing the map.
“There is no map I know about,” said Bird.
Timken said the clubs are planning to follow the “end of November” process.
This indicates that republican legislators do not expect a bilateral agreement from the OHIO RedistRination Commission before October 31.
Bird was not moved, seeing that only one opponent of democratic maps comes to two meetings, pointing to the support of the Democratic Party to bring supporters.
“I think we all saw that there were many calls and social media from the Democratic Party, so that people come and testify,” Bird reporters told Bird. “You haven’t heard it from the Republican Party. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but we’ve heard a lot of testimonies and, as you said, usually one -sided.”
Now that the first legislative term has passed, the RedistRection Commission Ohio will have to be reactivated by Governor Mike Dewine.
The governor is also obliged to sit on the commission with a state auditor and secretary of state. The General Assembly will be represented with two republican legislators and two democratic legislators.
Whenever the map is accepted along the way, if he is presenting a court challenge, the Supreme Court in Ohio will have jurisdiction regarding trials against the map.
Republicans have added party labels to the Supreme Court Ohio since 2022 and are now reviewing the court 6-1.
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