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    Redistricting in Ohio after the 2010 census

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 11 min
    Public Policy Logo-one line.pngin Ohio

    Note: Redistricting takes place every 10 years after completion of the United States Census. The information here pertains to the 2010 redistricting process. For information on more recent redistricting developments, see this article.


    Redistricting in Ohio
    Election Policy on Ballotpedia Logo.png
    General information
    Partisan control:
    Republican
    Process:
    Apportionment Board for Legislative boundaries, Ohio General Assembly for Congressional boundaries
    Deadline:
    October 5, 2011-Legislative Only.
    Total seats
    Congress:
    16
    State Senate:
    33
    State House:
    99

    This article details the timeline of redistricting events in Ohio following the 2010 census. It also provides contextual information about the redistricting process and census information.

    Process[edit]

    See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures

    During the 2010 redistricting cycle, the Ohio Apportionment Board was responsible for legislative redistricting. It was composed of the following five members:

    Unlike some state redistricting commissions, Ohio's was not bi-partisan. In 2011, four of the committee's five members were Republicans. The board held its first official meeting on August 5, 2011.[1]

    For Congressional redistricting, both houses of the General Assembly were responsible for re-drawing the lines. There were no deadlines for congressional redistricting in Ohio.[2]

    Article XI of the Ohio Constitution, entitled Apportionment, consisted of 15 sections that detailed the redistricting process. Section 1 provided authority for the creation of an Apportionment Board.

    Leadership[edit]

    Redistricting taskforce[edit]

    The Ohio Legislative Task Force on Redistricting, Reapportionment, and Demographic Research held its first meeting on June 16, 2011. The group assisted the General Assembly and Ohio Apportionment Board in drafting new maps. In addition to providing research support, the task force oversaw funding for the Ohio redistricting process. House Speaker William Batchelder (R) and Senate Minority Leader Capri Cafaro (D) co-chaired the task force. Ohio Revised Code, Title 1, Chapter 103.51 provided authority for the redistricting task force.[3]

    Legislative Redistricting[edit]

    2011 Apportionment Board[edit]

    The members of the 2011 Ohio Apportionment Board were:

    Congressional redistricting[edit]

    State House Redistricting Subcommittee[edit]

    House Speaker William Batchelder appointed the committee's members on January 12, 2011.[4] The committee began meeting in April 2011.[5]

    Senate Select Committee on Redistricting[edit]

    The members of the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting were:[6][7]

    Public Hearings[edit]

    • The General Assembly's redistricting committees held five hearings around the state on Congressional redistricting. The complete schedule can be found here. The hearings began on July 20, 2011.
    • The Ohio Apportionment Board also held several meetings around the state on legislative redistricting. The complete schedule can be found here. The hearings began on August 22, 2011.

    Census results[edit]

    As a result of the 2010 Census, Ohio lost two congressional seats, dropping from 18 to 16.[4][8]


    Representative Dennis Kucinich comments on redistricting.

    Local census data received[edit]

    Ohio received its 2010 local census data. This data guided lawmakers as they drew new legislative districts.[9] Although the state population showed net growth, Ohio's large cities recorded population loss. Of the state's five largest cities -- Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron -- only Columbus showed population growth (10.6% since 2000). Of the five, Cleveland suffered the sharpest decline, losing 17.1% of its population.[10]

    Congressional redistricting[edit]

    Figure 1: This map shows Ohio's congressional districts after the 2000 Census

    September 2011: Republicans release redistricting proposal[edit]

    On September 13, 2011, Ohio's Republican majority released its plan for the state's congressional districts. The plan eliminated two districts in the Clevleand area and one in southwest Ohio. The map also created a new district centered on Columbus. In Cleveland, the plan eliminated Betty Sutton's (D) district, shifting her into Jim Renacci's (R) district. The plan also combined the districts of Dennis Kucinich (D) and Marcy Kaptur (D). In southwest Ohio, Mike Turner (R) and Steve Austria (R) would have also been paired in a single district.[11] A vote on the plan was expected as early as September 15.[12]

    The Hill reported that the proposal was expected to significantly strengthen Republican incumbents and solidify potential swing districts in favor of Republicans.[13] The Washington Post reported that 12 of the 16 districts would lean Republican under the new plan.[14]

    Meanwhile, Ohio Campaign for Accountable Redistricting revealed the winners of its congressional redistricting competition. The winner was Mike Fortner, an Illinois state legislator interested in the redistricting process. Both maps can be seen side-by-side below:[15]

     Ohio Congressional Redistricting Proposals 

    September 2011: House approves redistricting plan[edit]

    On September 15, 2011, the Ohio House of Representatives approved a redistricting plan for the state's congressional districts by a 56-36 vote.[16]

    September 2011: Senate approves redistricting plan[edit]

    On September 22, 2011, the Ohio State Senate approved the new congressional redistricting plan by a 24-7 vote. The Senate amended the House-approved bill by adding $2.75 million in funds for local election boards. The funds were officially intended to help local governments implement the new maps. However, by adding the appropriation to the redistricting bill, pundits speculated that the entire law may be immune from a veto referendum. Ordinarily, appropriations bills are not subject to referendum in Ohio. However, legal experts argued that the Ohio Supreme Court would likely hold that merely adding an appropriation to the bill does not exempt it from the proposed referendum.(See Legal issues below) The House of Representatives concurred with the amendment the same day.[17][18][19]

    September 2011: Governor signs plan[edit]

    On September 26, 2011, Gov. John Kasich (R) signed the state's congressional redistricting plan (shown above). The press release on the signing can be found here. An interactive version of the map can be found here.

    November 2011: Congressional compromise stalls[edit]

    On November 7, 2011, a push for revised maps was shot down by Ohio Democrats. With the Republican-drawn congressional maps facing a referendum and the state facing the possibility of a 2012 election without maps, lawmakers sought to reach a compromise on maps before the December 7, 2011, candidate filing deadline. Such a change would need to pass as emergency legislation, requiring a larger majority that would need at least some Democratic support. Despite attempts at a compromise plan, Republicans were unsuccessful in gaining Democratic support.[20][21]

    December 2011: Compromise map approved[edit]

    On December 14, 2011, Ohio legislators reached a compromise on the state's congressional redistricting plan. The compromise, first proposed by Republicans, gained traction after concerns grew about the viability of the referendum effort against the earlier map. In addition, the compromise eliminated a second primary for congressional candidates, saving the state about $15 million.[22]

     Ohio Congressional Redistricting Map 
    • This map show the compromise plan ultimately adopted for Ohio's U.S. House districts.

      This map show the compromise plan ultimately adopted for Ohio's U.S. House districts.

    Legislative redistricting[edit]

    September 2011: Board adopts final plan[edit]

    On September 28, 2011, the Ohio Apportionment Board gave final approval to the state's legislative redistricting plan after releasing draft maps online two days earlier. The board passed the plan by a 4-1 vote. The board's only Democrat, Armond Budish, opposed the new maps. Budish said the map effectively quarantined state Democrats into a third of the Ohio's legislative districts.[23] Analysis by the Dayton Daily News suggested that 20 of the 99 house districts were competitive and seven of the state's 33 senate districts were competitive. The analysis also suggested that 51 of the house districts and 17 of the senate districts favored Republicans by five points or more. House Speaker William Batchelder defended the maps, arguing that they were a fair revision of the previous plan. He also noted that the board doubled the number of districts where African Americans were the majority.[24]

    • The full plans can be found here.
    • For those unable to read these file formats, the earlier pdf draft maps can be found here (house) and here (senate).
    • All map submissions to the board can be found here.

    Legal issues[edit]

    September 2011: Democrats sue to allow veto referendum

    Before passing the state's congressional redistricting plan, the Republican-led Ohio General Assembly added a $2.75 million appropriation to help local Boards of Elections implement the plan. Defenders of the move said the bill should count as an appropriations bill and should be exempted from a veto referendum per the Ohio Constitution. In response, Democrats filed suit on September 28, 2011, in the Ohio Supreme Court to affirm their right to challenge the map. An earlier ruling in 2009 upheld the right of citizens to challenge a racetrack slots provision in a state budget bill. Ohio House Republicans called the suit baseless, arguing that the appropriation was pertinent to the bill.[25] House Speaker William Batchelder (R) says that the court should act by October 9, 2011 in order to give counties time to prepare for the election.[26]

    October 2011: State rejects referendum petition

    On October 12, 2011, the Ohio Secretary of State rejected preliminary signatures for a referendum against Ohio's congressional redistricting plan. Although proponents had more than enough signatures to qualify for statewide circulation, the preliminary petition was rejected because of an appropriation within the redistricting bill. Democratic officials expected the decision and argued that the move would give their pending legal challenge further merit.[27]

    • The Secretary of State's press release can be found here.

    October 2011: State supreme court approves referendum

    On October 14, 2011, the Ohio Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision allowing the referendum against Ohio's congressional redistricting maps to proceed. The Ohio Constitution prohibits referendums against "appropriations for the current expenses of the state government." However, the court found that the redistricting legislation's $2.75 million appropriation, designated for local election officials to implement the new map, did not fund current expenses and, thus, did not exempt the bill from referendum. If the referendum gathered enough signatures, the new redistricting plan would be suspended until voters weighed in.

    • The court's opinion in State ex rel Ohioans for Fair Districts v Husted can be found here.

    October 2011: Lawsuit seeks to force court-drawn maps

    A lawsuit filed in October 2011 got a hearing later in November 2011. The lawsuit, filed by a Batavia resident, argued that without a congressional redistricting map, the 2012 elections would be unconstitutional. Moreover, the lawsuit argued that a local judge, Jerry R. McBride, should draft new plans and retain jurisdiction over future redistricting efforts.[28]

    January 2012: Democrats challenge legislative maps[edit]

    On January 4, 2012, Ohio Democrats filed suit against Ohio's state legislative redistricting maps. They argued that the maps violated state constitutional requirements for compactness and the preservation of county and municipal boundaries. The new maps split 51 counties and 55 cities. The plaintiffs also alleged that the committee violated open meetings laws by holding secret meetings in a hotel room.[29]

    • The petition in the case can be found here.

    February 2012: Case delayed, maps stand for 2012[edit]

    The Ohio Supreme Court decided to hear the Democratic lawsuits over the new legislative redistricting maps. However, due to the party's delay in filing the challenge, the court ruled that the new maps would stand for the 2012 election and revisions to the maps would apply starting in 2014.[30]

    Timeline[edit]

    The redistricting timeline for Ohio was as follows:

    Ohio 2010 redistricting timeline
    Date Action
    December 21, 2010 State informed of number of Congressional seats on the 2010 Census.
    February 8, 2011 Special election held in current legislative districts.
    March 1, 2011[4] Expected date to receive complete Census data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
    April 1, 2011[31] Final deadline to receive Census data.
    May 3, 2011[4] Last municipal and city primary elections in previous boundaries.
    August 1, 2011 First day Ohio Apportionment Board met
    October 1, 2011 Last day Ohio Apportionment Board met
    October 5, 2011[32] Deadline for the Ohio Apportionment Board to have a legislative redistricting plan in place.
    November 8, 2011[4] Last municipal and city general elections in previous boundaries.
    March 6, 2012 First primary elections in newly created districts.
    November 2012 First general election in newly created legislative and congressional boundaries.


    +-Tenative

    2012 primary date[edit]

    Although Ohio's primary date ordinarily shifted to March during presidential election years, redistricting prompted legislators to change this process for 2012. House Bill 194, passed by the Ohio General Assembly on June 29, 2011, eliminated this shift and kept the Ohio primary date in May 2012. A March primary would have placed candidate filing deadlines in December 2011. Lawmakers believed that a December filing deadline would not have allowed enough time for the state to complete redistricting and address subsequent legal challenges.[33]

    With the compromise congressional map approved on December 14, 2011, Ohio lawmakers also settled on a date for the state's primaries—March 6, 2012. [34]

    Ballot measures[edit]

    The following measures have appeared on the Ohio ballot pertaining to redistricting.

    See also[edit]

    External links[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ Cleveland, "Redistricting gets rolling in Ohio with Republicans holding the pen," August 06, 2011
    2. ↑ Columbus Dispatch, "Slow redistricting could delay Ohio's presidential primary," January 4, 2011
    3. ↑ Columbus Dispatch, "Protecting turf is GOP aim in congressional redistricting," June 17, 2011
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Massillion Independent, "GOP names 3 to redistricting committee," January 12, 2011 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "oh" defined multiple times with different content
    5. ↑ "Ohio House beginning redistricting process," April 16, 2011
    6. ↑ Weapons of Mass Discussion, "Niehaus Names Members to Senate Select Committee on Redistricting," July 14, 2011
    7. ↑ CantonRep.com, "Oelslager named to redistricting panel," July 18, 2011
    8. ↑ The Oxford Press, "Ohio population shift favors GOP in Congress," April 18, 2010
    9. ↑ US Census Bureau Press Release, "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Ohio's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting," March 9, 2011
    10. ↑ Examiner.com, "4 of 5 big Ohio cities, counties lose people, Whites still dominate, Census says," March 10, 2011
    11. ↑ Youngstown Vindicator, "Redistricting plan to be unveiled," September 13, 2011
    12. ↑ Dayton Business Journal, "Proposed Ohio congressional redistricting expected for vote," September 14, 2011
    13. ↑ The Hill, "Ohio Republicans shore up huge advantage with redistricting map," September 13, 2011
    14. ↑ Washington Post, "Ohio GOP looks to cement 2010 gains with overhauled congressional map," September 13, 2011
    15. ↑ Money in Politics, "Press Release: Winning Congressional Maps Released Today," September 13, 2011 (dead link)
    16. ↑ Canton Repository, "Ohio House approves redistricting bill," September 15, 2011
    17. ↑ Toledo Blade, "Ohio Senate OKs redistricting plan," September 21, 2011
    18. ↑ Canton Repository, "Redistricting bill sent to governor," September 21, 2011
    19. ↑ Houston Chonicle, "Experts: Ohio political map tactic likely wrong," September 22, 2011
    20. ↑ Akron Beacon Journal, "Try, try, try again," November 8, 2011
    21. ↑ Circleville Herald, "Searching for a compromise to Congressional redistricting," November 7, 2011
    22. ↑ Cleveland.com, "Ohio lawmakers reach deal on congressional redistricting and single primary election (updated)," December 15, 2011
    23. ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Reapportionment: Maps tilt Ohio more to GOP," September 24, 2011
    24. ↑ Dayton Daily News, "New map gives GOP advantage in Columbus," September 28, 2011
    25. ↑ The News-Herald, "Ohio Democrats sue over congressional map," September 28, 2011
    26. ↑ Cleveland.com, "Ohio Dems seek high court ruling on Republican redistricting funding rider," October 5, 2011
    27. ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Husted rejects petition to place new congressional map on ballot," October 13, 2011
    28. ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Voter's lawsuit could play role Ohio map spat," November 04, 2011
    29. ↑ Newsmax, "Ohio Democrats Sue Over Redistricting Map," January 6, 2012
    30. ↑ Daily Jeffersonian, "No Ohio Redistricting Decision Before Election," February 19, 2012
    31. ↑ Population Reference Bureau, "2010 Census Deadlines
    32. ↑ Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, "2010 NCSL Redistricting Law Guide (dead link)
    33. ↑ "The Marietta Times," Debate over date of Ohio’s 2012 primary, February 21, 2011
    34. ↑ Columbus Dispatch, "State will have one primary March 6," December 15, 2011
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