NRAF-Supported Voters Submit Fair Legislative Maps to Ohio Redistricting Commission

For Immediate Release
January 21, 2022

Contact
Brooke Lillard
lillard@redistrictingaction.org

NRAF-Supported Voters Submit Fair Legislative Maps to Ohio Redistricting Commission

Washington, D.C. — Voters supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF) in the case of Bennett v. Ohio Redistricting Commission, which established the originally-enacted state legislative maps to be partisan gerrymanders, have submitted constitutionally-compliant state legislative maps to the Ohio Redistricting Commission as it conducts a court-ordered redraw. The maps submitted by the Bennett petitioners were drawn by Dr. Jonathan Rodden, an expert in political science who the Ohio Supreme Court has praised for drawing maps that serve as examples of fair, compliant solutions that reflect the partisan preferences of the state.

“It is critical that the Ohio Redistricting Commission produces a compliant plan this time around – one that both adheres to the technical map-drawing requirements and reflects voters’ preferences,” said Marina Jenkins, the NRAF’s Director of Litigation and Policy. “In its decision, the Ohio Supreme Court laid out a path for the Commission to do that, and this plan offers a fair and constitutionally-compliant map that more accurately reflects the will of the people. The Commission should give it due consideration.”

The Bennett petitioners’ maps comply with every technical line-drawing rule set forth in Article XI of the Ohio Constitution, as well as the constitutional requirements that the seat share correspond closely to voters’ statewide preferences and that the plan avoid primarily favoring or disfavoring one political party. Under this plan, 43 Democrats are likely to be elected to the House and 15 Democrats are likely to be elected to the Senate, when using the same recent election data the Ohio Redistricting Commission is using to draw its own maps. You can view the Bennett petitioners’ state House plan here and the state Senate plan here.

###