Tagged: Ohio Redistricting

The wording of a fall ballot issue revamping the way Ohio draws legislative and congressional districts is nearing final approval by a state panel.

The Ohio Ballot Board scheduled a Wednesday meeting to certify language for the proposed constitutional amendment.  It would strip elected officials of map-drawing powers and give them to a 12-person citizen commission.

A coalition of voter advocacy groups called Voters First is spearheading the effort.  Backers say the current setup lets the ruling party draw district lines to its favor.

Now that backers of a proposed constitutional amendment to change the redistricting process have enough valid signatures to put the issue on the statewide ballot, attention turns to how to sell it to voters.  The supporters of the plan already have their mantra…..people not politicians.  But now opponents of the plan have a mantra of their own…..protect your vote.  Jenny Camper is with a group that plans to fight the proposed redistricting plan. 

Justices in Ohio are weighing arguments that will determine the fate of Ohio's newly drawn legislative map.

Lawyers sparring before the Ohio Supreme Court Tuesday disagreed over the constitutionality of the new lines and the process by which they were drawn.

The attorney for Democrats, who filed suit on behalf of a group of Ohio voters, said it's clear the maps favoring Republicans violated provisions against gerrymandering.

Ohio's new 10th congressional district merges Montgomery and Greene Counties, as well as a part of Fayette County, changing the political landscape for 2012. Emily McCord speaks to Jessica Wehrman for this edition of PoliticsOhio. She's a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch based in Washington, D.C., and her stories appear in the Dayton Dailys News. Werhman breaks down what the changes the new map brings for Montgomery, Clark  and Greene Counties and what that means for congressional races and its national implications.