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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2010 > February > 01 > Entry
House Dems unveil reappportionment plan
Rep. Tom Letson, D-Warren, on Monday, Feb. 1, unveiled House Democrats’ plan to change how Ohio draws state legislative districts.
Unlike the plan approved last fall by the Republican-controlled Senate, the House plan would not cover how U.S. House districts are drawn.
Also, Letson said the goal is get a proposal before voters on Nov. 2. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, sponsor of the Senate plan, wanted to get the issue on the May 4 primary ballot.
Letson said his plan “will take the politics out of the reapportionment process.”
It calls for Ohio citizens after each census - including the 2010 census - to submit proposals to the Apportionment Board based on: competitive fairness; political competitiveness; communities of interest and compactness.
The five-member board would review the proposals and the final arbiter would be a five-member panel of retired judges - two Democrats, two Republicans and a fifth selected by the other four.
Husted said he welcomed the Democrats’ proposal but was disappointed that it did not cover U.S. House districts and that Democrats want to wait until November to put the issue on the ballot.
Husted’s proposal would do away with the Apportionment Board. It is made up of the governor, auditor, secretary of state and a legislator from each party. The party that controls two of the three statewide seats on the board controls redistricting.
His plan would instead set up a seven-member commission - governor, auditor, secretary of state, House speaker, Senate president and House and Senate minority leaders. A five-vote supermajority would be required to adopt a redistricting plan. Also, at least two votes would have to come from commission members not in the majority party.
Letson said his plan focuses on “how” the districts are drawn while Husted’s focuses on “who” draws them.
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