Dems: Newly approved Ohio district map 'falls far below what's considered to be fair,' lawsuit likely

Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved a four-year map for state House and Senate districts over the objections of Democrats shortly after Wednesday's 11:59 p.m. deadline.

The 5-2 vote along partisan lines came after hours of back-and-forth negotiations broke down. The final map gives Republicans a veto-proof majority.

Republicans justified the maps by saying Ohioans favored GOP candidates between 54% – the average vote total for GOP candidates in recent statewide elections – and 81% – the percent of statewide races won by Republicans over the past decade – of the time. The GOP-approved maps give Republicans a 62-37 advantage in the House and 23-10 advantage in Senate or 64.4% of the Ohio Legislature.

More:Redistricting for Ohio Statehouse: How GOP mapmakers split urban communities for political ends

Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Gov. Mike DeWine, all Republicans, expressed frustration with the mapmaking process but ultimately voted for the final product. 

Democrats excoriated the GOP-approved map and the messy process that led to them.

"To have before us today, a map that summarily and arrogantly eliminates the ability for women like me, the women of the past, to engage in the process and have their votes heard is not only offensive. It is plain wrong," said House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, D-Akron. "This is about the human right to access and participate in our government."

Sen. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, said the map approved by the commission along partisan lines "falls far below what's considered to be fair." 

"I'm just astounded by the arrogance of the supermajority, having such a careless regard for the people of this state," he said. 

New map keeps GOP supermajority at the Statehouse

The commission-approved map keeps Dublin and western Franklin County in a state senate district with Union County, creating a safer seat for Republicans there. Rep. Jessica Miranda, D-Forest Park, would be drawn out of her northern Hamilton County district into one with Rep. Cindy Abrams, R-Harrison. Democratic-leaning Trotwood outside Dayton would remain in a House seat with GOP-friendly Preble County. 

The vote came just hours after DeWine said he would rather have a bipartisan map than one that met the Wednesday deadline. Ultimately, the seven-member commission did not hit the deadline and failed to pass a 10-year map.

A vigorous debate centered around whether the maps must match Ohio's statewide election results over the past 10 years, a voter-approved change added to the Ohio Constitution. Even the Democrats' counteroffers fell short of that.

The commission was required to provide a statement about how they attempted to meet the constitutional standard that the map corresponds closely to the statewide preferences of the voters of Ohio. LaRose said he didn't see the GOP's language until after the vote.

"The commission determined that the statewide preferences of the voters of Ohio predominantly favor Republicans," the majority wrote in their statement. 

Democrats offered their own statement, saying the map did not meet constitutional standards. 

"Democratic solutions went unheeded while the Republicans made only token changes to their maps that appeared designed to protect their incumbents," Democrats said in their statement. 

Lawsuit likely for four-year map

Several voting rights groups had threatened to sue over four-year maps. Any court challenge would be heard by the Ohio Supreme Court, which is divided with four Republicans and three Democrats. Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor is considered a possible swing vote. 

Fair Districts Ohio, which includes the League of Women Voters of Ohio and Common Cause Ohio, is reviewing the approved maps and considering next steps, including possible litigation and ballot initiatives in the future.

"We know that this matter will be in court," DeWine said. "What I am sure in my heart is that this committee could have come up with a bill that was much more clearly constitutional. I'm sorry that we did not do that." 

More:Ohio is using a new process to draw state, congressional districts. Here's how it works

Negotiations over the maps were held almost exclusively behind closed doors – a fact that infuriated advocates of voter-approved changes to the Ohio Constitution that sought a more transparent mapmaking process. Voters in 2015 and 2018 approved redistricting reforms to the legislative and congressional maps. 

“The Ohio Redistricting Commission missed a momentous opportunity to restore faith in our democratic republic,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio.

See the maps here: Senate and House.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.