|
COLUMBUS - State Senator Jon Husted, R-Kettering, today announced plans to introduce legislation that would change the way in which Ohio legislative and congressional districts are drawn.
The proposal creates a bipartisan seven-member commission that would oversee the creation of district boundaries for both the Ohio General Assembly and Ohio congressional districts, regardless of political landscape at the time of the decennial census.
To further require bipartisan input, the resolution implements an enhanced five-vote supermajority for the adoption of any redistricting plan. It requires a supermajority of five affirmative votes for any plan to be approved. In addition, at least one of the required five votes must come from each of the three groups represented on the commission: two Republican legislative leader appointments; two Democratic legislative leader appointments; and three remaining members selected by the four legislative leaders.
"We can't change the hyper-partisan ways of government unless we change the system that demands it. This change would allow the voters to pick their politicians rather than letting the politicians pick their voters." said Husted. "I hope this will serve to stimulate bipartisan debate and action. The cost of inaction in 2009 will lead to the preservation of a system that values partisan advantage over problem solving-Ohioans can no longer to afford to live this way."
The resolution adds and defines the parameters of a competitive district to the list of factors that must be considered by the new commission when creating districts. This change makes Ohio a national leader, putting the state at the forefront of redistricting reform. It adds transparency and openness by making meetings open to the public and data available for review.
The redrawing of congressional lines mid-census is also prohibited. This prevents situations like the one that occurred in Texas in 2003 when the congressional lines were redrawn mid-census. Currently, the Ohio Constitution already prohibits mid-census changes to General Assembly districts but not congressional districts.
"It is not easy to take an issue that is inherently political, bring opposing sides together and come up with a thoughtful proposal for the General Assembly to consider," Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, said. "I appreciate the tremendous amount of time and hard work Jon Husted has put into his resolution and look forward to working with him to reform Ohio's redistricting process."
|
