Supreme Court decision on district maps puts May statehouse primary races in jeopardy

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent a letter to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Legislature indicating that all 88 county of boards of elections may not be able to include congressional maps on the May 3 primary election ballots.

In the letter, sent Thursday night, LaRose said, “I regret to inform you that as a result of last night’s decision by the Ohio Supreme court, and barring the immediate action of a federal court, our 88 county boards of elections can no longer include contests for the state House and state Senate in the May 3, 2022 primary election.”

>> Republican Gubernatorial primary debate canceled after DeWine declines invite

LaRose said it’s not logistically possible to include district-specific legislative races on the May 3 primary ballot without federal court involvement, which let county boards process as scheduled.

However, the state of Ohio is preparing for the primary election that includes state, congressional and local races. If the primary election were to be postponed, that decision would have to made by the Ohio General Assembly or a court order, LaRose said.

The letter was sent after the Ohio Supreme Court rejected on Wednesday a third attempt to redistrict the Ohio Statehouse district maps. That latest attempt to redistrict the maps reflected the state’s partisan breakdown, according to state Republicans.

>> UNDERDOG: The science that has you rooting for the team that isn’t supposed to win

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the Republican-dominated Ohio Redistricting Commission’s latest attempt failed to meet constitutional requirements. So far, no democrat has supported any of the three plans.

The panel was asked to meet again and provide a set of legal maps to LaRose by March 28 and must be filed with the court by March 29.

Any new plans outlining the Ohio House and Ohio Senate districts, will be subject to another court review.

©2022 Cox Media Group