Breaking: Commission approves new Ohio congressional maps

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(The Center Square) – A day after unveiling proposed new congressional maps, the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved them.

The bipartisan maps were unanimously approved Friday after nearly two hours of witness testimony, but no discussion among commission members. The district could increase the Republican advantage in Ohio from the current 10-5 to 13-2, which somewhat mirrors the GOP-leaning districts passed without Democratic support in 2022.

Those districts, however, did not produce as many Republican-controlled seats as the party had hoped.

Currently, Republicans hold a 10-5 congressional advantage in the state.

The new maps will be in place until 2031.

“While it may not be perfect, the map passed today by the Redistricting Commission avoids the potential for a referendum funded by special interests to repeal any map that might have been passed by the General Assembly,” Sen. President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said in a statement following the vote.

Facing a deadline today to pass maps that include approval votes from the commission’s two Democrats, the commission unanimously passed the maps that will last until 2031.

The new maps target three seats: Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-District 13, in northeast Ohio; Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-District 9, in northwest Ohio; and Rep. Grad Landsman, D-District 1, in southwest Ohio.

The commission says nine new districts lean toward Republicans, two lean toward Democrats and four are within a 45%-55% margin.

If the commission had failed to pass maps with constitutionally mandated support from Democrats, the General Assembly would have had the chance to pass new districts with a simple majority and without Democratic approval.

That could have changed Ohio’s congressional makeup of 10 Republicans and five Democrats to a 13-2 GOP majority, despite constitutional requirements that say no plan can favor or disfavor one political party and districts must resemble voting percentages from the last 10 years in statewide and federal elections.

In the last 10 years, Ohioans have voted 54% for Republicans in federal elections. Based on the state constitution, congressional districts should be split 8-7 in favor of the GOP.