New 4-year legislative maps approved by Ohio redistricting panel after not reaching consensus

COLUMBUS — Saturday the Ohio Redistricting Commission failed to reach a bipartisan consensus needed to pass 10-year maps of state legislative districts.

However, the seven-member panel did approve new maps along party lines just before the deadline Saturday. This means the maps would be good for four years instead of the intended 10.

According to our partners at WBNS-TV, the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted the Republican-drawn state legislative district maps by a 5-2 vote. The Ohio House’s map split 57 Republican to 42 Democratic districts and the Senate’s map was split 20 Republican to 13 Democratic districts.

This is the second time the commission failed to come to an agreement.

Previously we reported the Ohio Supreme Court said, “The Court majority ruled that the legislature violated two provisions of Article XIX of the Ohio Constitution when it passed Senate Bill 258 in November 2021 by adopting a congressional-district plan that ‘unduly favors’ the Republican Party and ‘unduly splits’ governmental units into different congressional districts that would favor the Republican Party.”

>>PAST REPORT: Ohio Supreme Court throws out congressional-district map; majority says it ‘unduly favors’ one party

Both congressional and district maps are governed by separate sections of the Ohio Constitution.

Separate sections of the Ohio Constitution govern both congressional and district maps.

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