The Congress Redistriction Committee met on Monday for the first time, because the process of exaggerating district maps in the state is underway. The leaders of the Republican Committee said after the meeting on September 30 to receive a double -sided map mentioned in state law. The co -chairman said that the next meeting will be scheduled for next week. (Photo Susan Tebben/ Ohio Capital Journal)
The Redistriction Committee of the Ohio Congress heard from the inhabitants of Ohio and democratic leaders on Monday during the first meeting in the process of exaggerating the state map. Republican leaders explained that the first date of September 30 will not be met a double -sided map.
During the four-hour meeting of the Committee for Congress Redistriction, the leader of the House Ohio Dani Isaacsohn, D-ccinnati, defended this proposal Introduced by House Democratswith other legislators on the side of the Ohio Senate his accompanying account.
Democrats proposals, Introduced on September 9Arrange the eight Republican Congress Districts and seven districts based on democratic on the map, which, he claims, has been adapted to voters’ trends over the last 10 years.
Isaacsohn said that the map meets the constitutional principles to maintain the districts and communities as fascinating as much as possible, adding that “forces competitive races and forces the community to accept as granted.”
He said he was open to counterprroposes from Republicans on the map, provided that the redistribution process leads to a constitutional map, which gives ohio the representation he deserves.
“When we have gerrymandering, who excessively favors one or the other, it leads to politicians who harm most people who are beyond contact with Ohioans and what they need,” said Isaacsohn.
Co-chairman of the Committee, Jane Timken, R-Jackson TWP., Claimed that the constitutional principle cannot excessively favorable to one political party, there is a “third silo” of this process, coming into play only if there is no double-sided contract.
Currently, the Congress Map of Ohio has 10 Republican Congress members and five Democrats. This map was adopted without double -sided support in March 2022, as to this year it will restore this process to activate maps in the next election cycle.
The Republican Club has not yet proposed a map. Timken said that the legislative club is working on a proposal.
“Republicans will follow the constitution, and when we offer our map, I am sure that we will make it public,” said Timken.
But Timken does not agree with the division of 55% -45%, which Democrats and their supporters of maps used as the basis of a “fair” map.
“I question their logic, why it must be 55-45, since clearly voters from Ohio strongly supported Republicans over the past decade, so in my opinion I do not think that 55-45 is accurate,” she told reporters after the meeting.
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Congress maps often operate the last presidential election as a guide, along with voting trends of the last decade. In 2024, President Donald Trump won Ohio with 55% of votes.
Senator of State Bill Demora, D-Cumbus, repeated Isaacsohn’s call for productive cooperation in creating “districts reflecting the political reality of our state”, saying that he would be ready to change the political breakdown, if it meant maintaining fair representation.
“If (maps) have 9-6 and are just constitutionally, I know that our club will consider these maps,” said Demora.
Democrat Columbus said he had “over 20 matches” in his office and voters talk about redistribution.
Ohioans, who spoke at the meeting, supported a democratic proposal, emphasizing the need for representation that reacts to voters, something that they consider to be more competitive circles and can do a limpid redistribution process.
“(Mother) politicians who do not answer the phone because they do not have to,” said Fr. Dr. Aileen Maddox, a resident of Dayton. “Their places are safe, not because we placed them there, but because the lines were drawn to keep them there.”
Maddox said that the circles of the committee fair would bring voices in the field of policy that understand the problems that Dayton residents deal with, including colorful people, immigrants and all other residents.
“We could choose leaders who come from our districts who understand the pain associated with the loss of a child too early, who know what it means to work with two works and still try to afford prescription, and the everyday life of people suffering from many of the above,” said Maddox.
As the supporters of the democratic proposal said about the advantages of the map, they also pointed to the finger on the Republicans on the lack of traffic in proposing a map or interrogation before Monday.
Senator Willis Blackshear, Jr., D-Jaton, thanked the Ohioans who participated in the meeting, calling their presence “a real testimony of democracy.”
“We only got two working days that this opportunity to testify would have arisen, so seeing so many people who appear here is even more unique,” said Blackshear.
The senator forced the committee to work strenuous, to achieve the date of September 30 for legislative actions and “respect the required need.”
“If voters did not want the September action, there would be no trial,” Blackshear told the committee. “If voters and our legislators did not intend to undertake a real, significant bilateral activity in September, they would not create a detailed process that we would do it.”
Republican representative of Rep. Adam Bird, R-New Richmond, expressed doubts about the discussion about the date of September 30 was recorded in state law as a final date for legislators.
“September 30 is there, and yet the constitution provides for a trial if we do not fulfill it,” said Bird. “And of course we are not, because we have sessions” if necessary “that have been determined so as not to be needed.”
Both Bird and Timken said that constitutional terms last until November, and do not feel thrown to make a decision before the end of the trial.
“We can continue the process of accumulating a contribution with Ohioans, we can continue the negotiation process with democrats and we can transfer a double -sided map at any time in the next few months,” said Bird.
If the legislator does not reach a 66% agreement in both chambers on the map until September 30, the trial goes to the Republican housing of the Ohio Redistriction Committee, which has until October 30 to make a double -sided decision.
If they do not have this vote, the General Assembly in Ohio has another crack, with a date of November 30.
At that time, the legislator would no longer have to have a double -sided contract, only needing a elementary majority to transfer a map that would last for four years.
This elementary majority agreement must be next to the map that has Some other requirements.
The chairman of the Republican Committee blamed the Democrats, who, according to them, were determined to a map with eight Republicans and seven democrats.
“If the map from eight to seven is the only acceptable, then as we do it until September 30,” said Bird. “This makes it very unlikely and pushes the envelope to a potential vote in November.”
Eight members of the GOP Committee questioned a democratic map, and some accused the drawers of maps and legislators who are behind the map of pushing the map to deliberately give democrats more places to democrats.
“It seems to me that this is only gerrymanding, if the Republicans won,” said a representative of the state Brian Stewart.
Regardless of whether the map is adopted in September or in November, Blackshear said that the renovated process of redistribution should be treated as a model for the rest of the country in terms of the evasion of political differences and combining effort representing the inhabitants of Ohio.
“We cannot use (political power) as saving to do what is suitable for Ohio residents, because the inhabitants of Ohio deserve a fair representation,” said Blackshear.
No other interrogations have been planned, but Timken said that there would be one more.
She and Bird said that this will happen next week to give more public opinion a chance for contribution.
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