AOTL: Ohio Commission’s Failure to Meet Deadline Calls Republican Motives into Question

For Immediate Release: 
October 31, 2021

Contact:
Brooke Lillard
lillard@redistrictingaction.org

Columbus, OH - Today, the Ohio Redistricting Commission is set to fail to meet its deadline of October 31 to adopt a bipartisan 10-year congressional map. Despite holding the pen for congressional maps for this stage of the process, the Republican-controlled Commission held just one “hearing” and never put forward an official proposal. The lack of action over the past month calls into question whether the Republican commissioners wanted the commission to function in the way Ohioans intended when they overwhelmingly supported the 2018 reform measure. After the deadline, the Commission will disband, handing the congressional map drawing duties back to the Republican-led Ohio Legislature. 

“What an utter shame. We find ourselves on the doorstep of the fourth consecutive missed constitutional deadline to adopt new maps for Ohio despite two reforms demanding better,” said Katy Shanahan, Ohio State Director for All On The Line. “In 2018 Ohioans sent a clear message on redistricting – we wanted a fair and transparent process. Today, once again, the Republican-led Commission has sent Ohio quite another message – they don’t care. Not about transparency in map drawing, not about ensuring public engagement opportunities, not about the constitutional requirements, and not about our democracy,” Shanahan continued.

In response to the shameful inaction of the Commission, All On The Line and its partners in the Equal Districts Coalition organized their own People’s Redistricting Hearings so that Ohioans could at least have a publicly-accessible forum to advocate for a fair congressional map. This stands in stark contrast to the “hearing” conducted by the Republican-led Commission, which only permitted those who had previously submitted a map to testify and was scheduled at the last minute in the middle of a work day. Only five attendees were able to testify at that “hearing.”  

“At the five hearings we hosted across the last week, we heard from dozens of dedicated Ohioans across this state who, quite simply, just want the best for their communities and for our state. They have a vested interest in ensuring all Ohioans, no matter who we are or where we live, have real pathways to the political representation we deserve,” said Shanahan. “These are voices that should be centered in any conversation we have about our new congressional map and they deserve to be heard. It’s a shame they have yet to be given an official opportunity to do so.”

As the congressional redistricting process moves into its final stage, All On The Line will continue to organize Ohioans from every corner of the state to hold our legislators accountable and to demand increased transparency in map drawing, ample public engagement opportunities, and for the fair maps that Ohio deserves. 

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