Ohio Senate approves redistricting map
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
The Ohio Senate voted 24-7 Wednesday to approve a bill that puts Highland County in the 15th Congressional district.
The proposed district plan places Highland County in the southwest corner of a horseshoe-shaped district. Other than a portion of Ross County to the east, all of Highland County's neighboring counties are in other districts in this proposal. Fayette County would be a part of the 10th District, while Clinton, Brown, Adams, Pike and a portion of Ross counties would be part of the Second District.
Ohio lost two Congressional districts following the 2010 census, due to slow population growth.
Ohio 17th District Sen. David Daniels (R-Greenfield) voted in favor of the bill.
"The map, I believe, meets the requirements of the Voting Rights Act, and it balances the districts," Daniels said. "As I began to look at the map to see what was possible, one of the things I tried to look at was 'What is this going to do to the counties in my district?' It kept quite a number of the counties whole, and I think that was an important part of my process."
Highland County Democratic Party Chairperson Dinah Phillips previously told The Highland County Press that she didn't feel the proposed map looked at the needs of the people in the districts.
"It's not fair to the people who they're supposed to be representing," Phillips said. "We have nothing in common with the big industrial cities, and even the people. Their needs are not the same as the needs we have. We get overshadowed by the congressmen who represent the big district, which are composed of the large counties. They have more people, and therefore they tend to gravitate toward what those people need, and ignore us."
Daniels said that he feels Highland County can receive good representation in the 15th District.
"Ten yeas ago when we went through the redistricting process, I think that most people, quite frankly, were upset we were put with Dayton and Montgomery County. We were put into sort of a metropolitan area 10 years ago, and now we're in a different metropolitan area," Daniels said.
According to a report from the Toledo Blade Wednesday, "Just before forwarding the bill to a full chamber vote, the Republican majority on the committee added $2.75 million to help county boards of elections to implement the new maps. Democrats opposed the last-minute amendment, knowing that its addition may have put the new map out of reach of a voter referendum. Unless a court disagrees, the appropriation would ensure that the bill would take effect immediately upon the signature of Gov. John Kasich. The bill assumes that the 2012 presidential election will be held on March 6. Lawmakers have apparently shelved a proposal that would have delayed it until May."
According to The Columbus Dispatch, "Republicans also decided not to pass a separate bill that would move the 2012 presidential primary from March to May. If the congressional map takes effect immediately, there is no longer a concern about the Dec. 7 filing deadline for congressional and Republican presidential candidates passing before the new congressional maps take effect. The Legislative Service Commission told the Senate committee today that the amendment says the intent is for the districts to take immediate effect. If it is immediately effective, there is no option for a referendum."
Daniels said that a March primary is too early for county boards of elections, and ultimately for voters.
"It gets complicated as you go through the process," Daniels said. "An early March primary in a presidential year will leave very little time for presidential candidates to start working, and little time for boards of elections to act. I would hope that now that we have the Congressional redistricting process behind us that we can sit down and do the right thing on this other primary issue."
The Ohio Senate voted 24-7 Wednesday to approve a bill that puts Highland County in the 15th Congressional district.
The proposed district plan places Highland County in the southwest corner of a horseshoe-shaped district. Other than a portion of Ross County to the east, all of Highland County's neighboring counties are in other districts in this proposal. Fayette County would be a part of the 10th District, while Clinton, Brown, Adams, Pike and a portion of Ross counties would be part of the Second District.
Ohio lost two Congressional districts following the 2010 census, due to slow population growth.
Ohio 17th District Sen. David Daniels (R-Greenfield) voted in favor of the bill.
"The map, I believe, meets the requirements of the Voting Rights Act, and it balances the districts," Daniels said. "As I began to look at the map to see what was possible, one of the things I tried to look at was 'What is this going to do to the counties in my district?' It kept quite a number of the counties whole, and I think that was an important part of my process."
Highland County Democratic Party Chairperson Dinah Phillips previously told The Highland County Press that she didn't feel the proposed map looked at the needs of the people in the districts.
"It's not fair to the people who they're supposed to be representing," Phillips said. "We have nothing in common with the big industrial cities, and even the people. Their needs are not the same as the needs we have. We get overshadowed by the congressmen who represent the big district, which are composed of the large counties. They have more people, and therefore they tend to gravitate toward what those people need and ignore us."
Daniels said that he feels Highland County can receive good representation in the 15th District.
"Ten yeas ago when we went through the redistricting process, I think that most people, quite frankly, were upset we were put with Dayton and Montgomery County. We were put into sort of a metropolitan area 10 years ago, and now we're in a different metropolitan area," Daniels said.
According to a report from the Toledo Blade Wednesday, "Just before forwarding the bill to a full chamber vote, the Republican majority on the committee added $2.75 million to help county boards of elections to implement the new maps. Democrats opposed the last-minute amendment, knowing that its addition may have put the new map out of reach of a voter referendum. Unless a court disagrees, the appropriation would ensure that the bill would take effect immediately upon the signature of Gov. John Kasich. The bill assumes that the 2012 presidential election will be held on March 6. Lawmakers have apparently shelved a proposal that would have delayed it until May."
According to The Columbus Dispatch, "Republicans also decided not to pass a separate bill that would move the 2012 presidential primary from March to May. If the congressional map takes effect immediately, there is no longer a concern about the Dec. 7 filing deadline for congressional and Republican presidential candidates passing before the new congressional maps take effect. The Legislative Service Commission told the Senate committee today that the amendment says the intent is for the districts to take immediate effect. If it is immediately effective, there is no option for a referendum."
Daniels said that a March primary is too early for county boards of elections and ultimately for voters.
"It gets complicated as you go through the process," Daniels said. "An early March primary in a presidential year will leave very little time for presidential candidates to start working, and little time for boards of elections to act. I would hope that now that we have the Congressional redistricting process behind us that we can sit down and do the right thing on this other primary issue."
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