Statehouse maps unanimously adopted by Ohio Redistricting Commission

COLUMBUS — A long-running redistricting battle here in Ohio may be coming to an end.

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The state’s redistricting commission unanimously approved new Statehouse maps Tuesday night, the Associated Press reported.

News Center 7 has previously reported on Ohio’s lengthy saga over the new political boundaries required to be drawn after every U.S. Census that had been riddled with lawsuits and repeated court rulings that found previous maps were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor the state’s Republicans.

The new state House and Senate maps are poised to last into the 2030 election cycle, pending legal hurdles.

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The maps show a Republican advantage of 61-38 in the Ohio House and a 23-10 advantage in the Ohio Senate, the AP said.

State Senator Rob McColley, a Henry County Republican, served on the Ohio Redistricting Commission and said the vote proved that bipartisan “good faith negotiations,”  in the redistricting process produce results and is “very pleased” with the results, he said in a statement.

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The two Democrats on the seven-member commission did not appear to see this as a win as much as a necessary compromise.

“We collectively produced better, fairer maps,” Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, the commission’s co-chair, said in a news release. “However, this cycle of redistricting has made it clear that this process does not belong in the hands of politicians.”

Ohio is among more than 20 states where redistricting efforts following the 2020 census remain in contention either because of lawsuits or efforts to redraw the districts, according to the AP.

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