Ohio House Democrats release congressional redistricting map
Ohio House Democrats on Friday evening released a proposed congressional map they say is a “more realistic vision” for how the state’s 15 U.S. House districts should be drawn than maps proposed by their GOP colleagues.
The new map likely would give Republicans a 9-6 advantage, according to election data compiled by popular redistricting site Dave’s Redistricting App. The map would establish six safe Republican seats, four safe Democratic seats and five competitive seats, defined as a partisan index of between 45% and 55%.
The map’s four safe Democratic seats are in Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas and Cuyahoga counties. The map creates two Democratic-leaning districts: one with the northern half of Franklin County, Delaware County, Morrow County and a sliver of Marion County and the other with Summit County and northwestern Stark County.
The Summit County district would be the most competitive, with a 51%-46% partisan index. Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, who would live in that district, said the map “is a good faith attempt to deliver the fair map voters demanded of us, and a realistic starting point to get to a 10-year map.”
A higher threshold of legislative approval — including Democratic support — is needed to achieve a congressional district map for the next 10 years.
Republicans currently hold 12 of Ohio’s 16 districts. Proposed GOP maps unveiled earlier this week could increase their share by one even as the state loses a district due to slow population growth.
In the Cincinnati area, House Democrats comprised one district out of most of Hamilton County, putting the western edge in a district with Butler, Preble and Warren counties and parts of Greene and Clinton counties. The Republican maps had kept Cincinnati whole, as required by the Ohio Constitution, but split Hamilton County among three districts and included more Republican-leaning communities to the north or east.
House and Senate committees will review the proposed maps next week and work toward a compromise. A joint committee of the House and Senate must hold at least two public committee hearings on a proposed plan before it passes.
A map must receive support from 60% of lawmakers and 33% of Democrats to last 10 years.