Ohio Voters Challenge Gerrymandered Congressional Map
Contact
Brooke Lillard
Lillard@redistrictingaction.org
Ohio Voters Challenge Gerrymandered Congressional Map
Voters Ask the Court to Expedite Proceedings So the 2022 Congressional Elections Can Be Conducted with Fair Maps
Washington, D.C. – In a submission today to the Ohio Supreme Court, voters supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF) filed a new challenge in their ongoing effort to secure a fair congressional map in Ohio. The challenged map, which was passed by the Republican-led Ohio Redistricting Commission, is nearly identical to the map passed by the Republicans in the state legislature in November 2011 and invalidated as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander by the Ohio Supreme Court on January 14th.
The petitioners’ complaint makes clear that the Commission’s remedial plan again unduly favors Republicans and Republican incumbents, while also – again – unduly splitting governmental units. This is in direct violation not only of the Ohio Constitution, but also of the Ohio Supreme Court’s directive in its January 14 order to create a new map in its entirety. The petitioners ask the court to declare the new plan unconstitutional, enjoin its implementation, and choose a new constitutional map to be used for the 2022 election. They are also asking the court to use its authority to move back the date set for the primary elections, so that the election can be conducted under a constitutionally valid congressional plan.
“Ohio voters should not be forced to vote in gerrymandered congressional districts, and the Ohio Supreme Court is singularly situated to protect voters’ rights against this shameful ploy that state Republicans have perpetrated in the name of ‘remedying’ their first unconstitutional partisan gerrymander,” said Marina Jenkins, the NRAF’s Director of Litigation and Policy. “The map passed by the Republican Commissioners does not adhere to the Ohio Supreme Court’s January ruling striking down the first gerrymandered congressional map, and it is disgraceful to see them brazenly ignore the court’s explicit instruction to draw a fair map. Time is of the essence, and the court must swiftly put an end to these partisan tactics that are preventing free and fair elections from taking place.”
Previously, on January 14, 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court found that the General Assembly’s Congressional map was “invalid in its entirety because it unduly favors the Republican Party and disfavors the Democratic Party” in violation of Article XIX, Section (1)(C)(3)(a) of the Ohio Constitution – the prohibition on partisan gerrymandering. The Court concluded that “[d]espite the adoption of Article XIX . . . the General Assembly did not heed the clarion call sent by Ohio voters to stop political gerrymandering.”
Following this ruling, on March 4th, Ohio voters supported by the NRAF submitted a motion to enforce the January 14 order, arguing that the Commission was bound by the January 14 order, but simply chose to ignore it. Last week, on March 18th, the Ohio Supreme Court indicated that challenges to the remedial map should be fashioned as a new original action; the NRAF-supported voters filed this challenge accordingly.
You can view the full complaint in Neiman v. LaRose here.
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