COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The redistricting commission was still meeting less than 24 hours before it is due to present a plan to the Ohio Secretary of State that will allow the spring primary election to move forward.
The Ohio Redistricting Commission, in its fourth attempt, met with two outside mapmakers Sunday night in an attempt to meet the Monday deadline to have the plan on Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s desk. The plan is due before the Ohio Supreme Court by 9 a.m. Tuesday.
University of Florida political science professor Dr. Michael McDonald and President of the National Demographics Corporation Dr. Douglas Johnson have been tasked by the commission to draw the maps, and they are well aware of the deadlines they face.
“We have a clock,” McDonald told the commission Sunday. “I want to implore upon you we really need guidance from you. I’m begging you to give us guidance.”
Over the last two days, Johnson and McDonald had provided the commission with nine different House and Senate maps.
Johnson and McDonald have been working on the maps since Thursday, and they presented their own proposals to the commission Sunday night.
After an approximately 90-minute recess, Ohio Speaker of the House Robert Cupp said the commission reviewed the Montgomery, Cuyahoga, and Franklin county areas of the maps, areas both mapmakers asked for guidance from the commission.
Johnson and McDonald told the commission they don’t need votes from the commission to guide them on how to proceed, but did need some direction.
Something frequently brought up during Sunday’s meeting was the approaching deadline.
“It’s a complicated process and I think you and people who have been watching can understand how complicated it is, and some of the things take time, so we hope to be able to meet the deadline the court has set which is not in the Constitution, it was a court decision,” Cupp said.
“I am anxious at this particular time for the map drawers to continue to do their work,” said commission member Sen. Vernon Sykes. “I believe we’ve given them adequate direction and guidance to complete their work so I’m hopeful by 10 or shortly thereafter tomorrow morning that we’ll have combined their work.”
LaRose issued a directive to Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections Wednesday to move forward with preparing ballots for the May 3 primary election with the Statehouse races left off those ballots, saying it was now up to the General Assembly to either split the primary into two elections or move it to a later date.
A bill was introduced in the Ohio Senate one day later pushing to move the date of the primary. However, a spokesperson for Senate Republicans said Thursday that at that time, there was no desire to move the date.
Voter registration for the primary ends April 4, with early voting set to begin the following day.
The commission is set to meet again Monday at 10 a.m.
Dr. Douglas Johnson’s Ohio House of Representatives map proposal 5a 
Dr. Douglas Johnson’s Ohio House of Representatives map proposal 5b 
Dr. Douglas Johnson’s Ohio Senate map proposal 
Dr. Michael McDonald proposed Ohio House of Representatives map 4C 
Dr. Michael McDonald proposed Ohio House of Representatives map 4C Union-Madison-Pickaway 
Dr. Michael McDonald proposed Ohio Senate map 4C 
Dr. Michael McDonald proposed Ohio Senate map 4C Union-Madison-Pickaway
For a party registration breakdown for Johnson’s House 5A map proposal, click here.
For a party registration breakdown for Johnson’s House 5B map proposal, click here.
For a party registration breakdown for Johnson’s Senate map proposal, click here.
For a party registration breakdown for McDonald’s map proposals, click here.
