COLUMBUS, Ohio — Last night, the ACLU of Ohio, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Covington & Burling LLP filed a motion to enforce with the Ohio Supreme Court, requesting that the Ohio Redistricting Commission and/or the Ohio General Assembly, enact a new Congressional map that brings Districts 1 and 15 into compliance with Article XIX of the Ohio Constitution. Today’s motion to enforce the Court’s January 14th order was filed on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Ohio and the A. Philip Randolph Institute.
The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the original map on January 14 and the General Assembly failed to issue a revised plan within the 30-day deadline set by the court order, so the process returned to the Commission, which enacted a second unconstitutional map on March 2.
The plaintiffs charge that the revised plan violates Section 3 of Article XIX of the Ohio Constitution in two material ways:
- The Republican map drawers cracked Democratic voters in Franklin County. They submerged Democratic precincts on the outskirts of Columbus into a district populated with Republican voters, District 15, a district that sprawls westward, slicing up counties in it relentless pursuit of partisan advantage.
- The Republican map drawers diluted a Democratic stronghold in Hamilton County, by appending a section to Warren County – a Republican stronghold. This transformed a strong Democratic leaning district around Cincinnati into a toss-up.
“The prompt correction of the obvious violations in Districts 1 and 15 will bring this process to an expeditious conclusion,” noted Freda Levenson, legal director for the ACLU of Ohio. “The violations, and the fixes, are specific and straightforward. And there is no doubt that the Ohio Supreme Court has the inherent and unequivocal authority to enforce its directive that the General Assembly or Commission draw a map that comports with the original January 14 order.”
On February 22, the League of Women Voters petitioners submitted an exemplar plan that is more compliant with Article XIX of the Ohio Constitution than the map enacted on March 2. This model map demonstrates that it is possible to generate a redistricting plan that is free of partisan bias.
“We ask the court for a practical and focused solution that will finally deliver fair Congressional representation to Ohio voters. There is no need to further delay: it is time for the voters of Ohio to have the benefit of a constitutional map” said Jen Miller, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio.
“We again ask the court to use their authority to ensure people can have an active voice in their government. It is high time that Ohio’s Congressional redistricting process be brought to a fair, and just end,” said Andre Washington, president of the Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute
Read the Motion to Enforce below.
