It was revealed at the last redistricting commission meeting that different caucuses in the House and Senate were working on their own to present maps to the commission. But the top Democratic leader in the House says that's not what's mandated by the constitution.
House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) says the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which she's on, is mandated by the constitution to draw the House and Senate maps.
Sykes says doing so can help prevent political games.
"Do the best that we can to minimize the amount of partisanship that is in this process because, certainly, it is very likely to happen, but the more we do and talk about this in the open the less likely those types of influences will creep in," Sykes said.
The Senate Dems have already presented a map to the commission, and the Republican caucuses are working on proposals, too.
Sykes says the issues around process could have been avoided had the commission convened earlier in the year instead of waiting to begin in August.
The next step in the process is for the commission to accept a map and have public hearings on the proposal.
Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.
