Redistricting effort stumbles out of gate

A bipartisan Statehouse effort to reform congressional redistricting is already off to a rocky start.

A new legislative working group will start the process of reviewing options for reforming the hyper-partisan process that currently leads to largely noncompetitive, gerrymandered seats.

House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville, and Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina, said the four-member group will gather input and make recommendations by early December, at which point lawmakers would consider a resolution to place on the May 2018 ballot.

By going in May, the legislative proposal could cut in front of the Fair Districts = Fair Elections coalition, a group that has been collecting signatures for its own redistricting proposal in November 2018. Unlike the legislature, an outside group can only put an issue on the general election ballot.

The Fair Districts coalition wants to hand the mapdrawing process to a bipartisan board of elected officials, but Obhof and other GOP lawmakers have said they want to keep the process in the hands of the legislature.

A new congressional map will be drawn in 2021, after the next census. A reformed process to draw state legislative districts was approved by lawmakers and voters in 2015, but the legislature chose not to change the congressional process.

“We feel the issue deserves thorough review and consideration, with the goal of finding common-sense reforms that will lead to a redistricting process that all interested parties can agree on,” Rosenberger said. “I believe the creation of this panel, which I hope will be bipartisan, will yield an open exchange of ideas and input from varying perspectives.”

But shortly after the announcement, Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights, said his caucus will negotiate in good faith and is “amenable” to the working group, but members do not want to undermine the coalition’s ballot effort.

Senate Democrats, Yuko said, want televised meetings, expert testimony, the ability for each caucus to select its own member of the group, and a commitment to move forward only if all members agree on a proposal.

“This week, Republican leadership informed us that they will put a congressional redistricting reform plan on the May 2018 ballot even without bipartisan support,” Yuko said. “Such strong-arm tactics do not bode well for a constructive dialogue.”

Before Yuko’s statement, Obhof said he was confident the group can have a “meaningful, bipartisan conversation about redistricting that can potentially show us a path forward to reform.”

After Yuko’s statement, Obhof spokesman John Fortney said, “It’s unfortunate, as of now, that the Democrats don’t want to participate in a bipartisan working group. We remain hopeful they’ll change their mind and be part of the process.”

Rep. Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, and Sen. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, will co-chair the working group.