After months of negotiations state lawmakers have come to an agreement on a new congressional map for the state of Ohio, settling a long battle on a Redistricting Plan. House Democrats finally agreed to a comprise after facing the prospect that inaction would cost the state millions by forcing the state to hold two primary elections.
In October, Republicans established a second primary date after the Ohio Democratic Party began collecting signatures for a ballot initiative to challenge the GOP-drawn map. The second primary date would have cost taxpayers $15 million.
Republicans made several minor changes to their original redistricting proposal; however, 12 of 16 districts still favor Republicans. The new congressional map can be viewed by clicking here.
The contentious GOP-led redistricting process lead State Rep. Dennis Murray, a Sandusky Democrat, to request the Ohio Inspector General Randall Meyer and Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledose to open an investigation into the process. State Rep. Murray’s request comes on the heels of a 174-page report by the Ohio Campaign for Accountable Redistricting.
The group’s investigation revealed that the U.S. House Speaker John Boehner was highly involved in the redistricting process and that about $10,000 of taxpayer funds was used to rent a secret hotel room from which GOP staff drew the district lines, which heavily favor their party. The Ohio Campaign for Accountable Redistricting report on the Republican led redistricting in Ohio can be found by clicking here.
