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UPDATED - $5,000 in prizes to be offered: Groups to launch competition for congressional, legislative redistricting
Three groups plan to launch a competition that will let the public try drawing new state legislative and congressional districts, based on the 2010 census.
The competition comes as the legislators and officeholders who will have the real power to draw new districts get down to work.
For the competition, The League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund, the Midwest Democracy Network and Ohio Citizen Action will discuss plans Tuesday at a 10:30 a.m. Columbus press conference.
The groups will offer $5,000 in prizes, including some scholarships, for the best proposals, said Catherine Turcer, director of the Money Politics Project for Ohio Citizen Action.
The competition will “use modern computer technology to take legislative and congressional redistricting out of the political backrooms and place it into the hands of private citizens,” a press release said.
The press conference comes just a day before a House-Senate legislative committee will hold the first of five hearings on congressional redistricting in Columbus. The Wednesday hearing starts at 9 a.m.
No hearing is scheduled for the Dayton area.
“We’re happy to take input from anybody,” said Sen. Keith Faber, a member of the committee. “We’re the official body that is going to be charged with drawing the districts.”
The lawmakers, plus Republican Gov. John Kasich, will have the final word on creating 16 new U.S. House districts. Ohio now has 18 U.S. House districts, but will lose two because of national population shifts. Republicans control the Ohio House and Ohio Senate and will have the advantage in the process.
Later on Wednesday, at 3 p.m., the legislators will hold a hearing in Zanesville at the Zanesville Campus of Ohio University.
On Thursday, there will be a hearing in Cleveland at 9 a.m. at Cleveland State University.
On Aug. 2, there will be two more hearings. The first will be at 9 a.m. at the Lima Campus of the Ohio State University.
The second will be at 3 p.m. at the University of Cincinnati.
Separately, the Ohio Constitution calls for the Apportionment Board to being meeting between Aug. 1 and Oct. 1 to draw new state legislative districts - 99 for the House and 33 for the Senate -, based on the 2010 census.
Gov. John Kasich, Secretary of State Jon Husted, Auditor Dave Yost and a member of the legislator from each party make up the board. Republicans will hold four of five seats on the board.
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