After significant Democratic opposition to the Republican drawn congressional districts, Ohio legislators passed a new compromised map late Wednesday night to prevent multiple primary elections and a repeal effort in the coming year.
The agreement reached Wednesday night, the final legislative day of 2011, would repeal the district lines created in House Bill 319, reunited the state’s primaries into a single date, March 6, and establish a task force to recommend improvements to the redistricting process.
The new map still splits Athens County between two congressional districts. All but two Athens County townships will be in the 15th district, while Carthage and Troy Townships will be in the 6th.
Despite months of political standoff, the Ohio Senate only needed an hour and a half to approve the bill with a 27-6 vote after the House passed it 77-17. The bill now moves on to Gov. John Kasich for his expected signature.
Ohio House Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-92, and Ohio Sen. Troy Balderson, R-20, both voted in favor of the compromise.
“The map is slightly better than the one originally proposed by majority Republicans, but still splits many communities,” Phillips said in a statement. “(The Republicans’) goal was not to create fair districts that represent the people of Ohio, but to protect their political cronies.”
Although not completely satisfied by the new map, Phillips said the task force and elimination of $15 million for the second primary helped her support the compromise.
“Redistricting has been badly mismanaged,” she said. “In order to reduce confusion for the voters, take steps towards reform, and save scarce resources, we came to a compromise yesterday.”
Balderson could not be reached for comment.
The legislation also includes an emergency clause that means the new district lines will take effect immediately after Kasich signs the bill into law. The immediacy also cuts off any referendum efforts, which Nate Hall, Ohio University senior and Democratic activist, interpreted as a good thing.
“You should all be proud of what you've contributed,” Hall said in an email to supporters of the HB 319 repeal. “Instead of rolling over and accepting a Gerrymandered map, we fought and forced Kasich and his cronies to come back to the table to reach a compromise.”
After repealing the controversial Senate Bill 5, placing HB 194 on next year’s ballot and solid victories in November’s elections, Hall said he is happy with the end of 2011’s legislative year.
“This compromise is the perfect way to cap off a year of activism,” Hall said.
NOTE: A copy of the compromised congressional district map can be seen here.
