COLUMBUS, OHIO – Yesterday evening, the League of Women Voters of Ohio petitioners submitted a constitutionally-compliant congressional plan to the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which is responsible for redrawing the district map, after the Ohio General Assembly failed to do so within thirty days of the Ohio Supreme Court’s order striking down the original plan as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The seven-member Commission has until March 16 to approve a new plan.
The plan, submitted on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Ohio petitioners, satisfies every aspect of Article XIX of the Ohio Constitution and is fully compliant with all applicable law, including the federal Voting Rights Act. The petitioners’ plan, which does not unduly favor a political party, is likely to result in approximately 6 Democrats and 9 Republicans being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Written testimony explaining the methods used in creating this map was submitted today by Freda Levenson, counsel for the League of Women Voters of Ohio petitioners.
“The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the enacted congressional map for giving Republicans an unconstitutional partisan advantage. The exemplar plan we submitted to the Commission is perfectly compliant with the law – including, most importantly – not gerrymandered to favor one political party at the expense of the other. We strongly urge the Commissioners to consider this plan,” noted Freda Levenson, legal director for the ACLU of Ohio.
“As the Commission begins to hold hearings on redrawing Ohio’s congressional map, we submit an expert-created, fully compliant map that abides by the Ohio Constitution, and most importantly, does not give any party advantage over the other. We demand fair districts for the people,” noted Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio.
View the proposed map and read the written testimony below.
