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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > February > 01 > Entry
Wolpert proposes new redistricting plan
The campaign to take “politics” out of the business of drawing state legislative and congressional districts goes on.
State Rep. Larry Wolpert, R-Hilliard, is taking up the cause this time.
Wolpert said he’ll introduce a resolution - which would have to be approved by the House and Senate - to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.
The plan would create a seven-member redistricting commission to draw state legislative and congressional districts in the year after each census, emphasizing fairness. It would add competitiveness as a factor in drawing the districts, a concept not addressed in the Ohio Constitution now, Wolpert said in a press release.
The four Democratic and Republican legislative leaders in the Ohio House and Senate each would pick one member of the commission and the remaining three members would be picked by a unanimous vote of the first four.
The legislature now draws the congressional districts and the Apportionment Board draws the state legislative districts. The board includes: the governor, secretary of state, auditor and a legislator from each party.
If things stay the way they are now, Republicans, who control the legislature, would have the upper hand in drawing congressional districtcs after the 2010 census.
Democrats would have the upper hand in drawing legislative districts because they would hold three of the five seats on the Apportionment Board - governor, secretary of state and one legislator.
Comments
By Kevin S.
February 2, 2008 1:35 AM | Link to this
So, any word on how this proposal differs from the rejected constitutional amendment from a few years back?