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House approves redistricting reform proposal

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By William Hershey, Columbus Bureau Updated 6:40 PM Friday, May 28, 2010

COLUMBUS — Efforts to reform Ohio’s politically-charged system of drawing new state legislative districts got a boost on Thursday, May 27, when the Democratic-controlled House approved a proposal to put before voters in November.

The 69-28 vote set up immediate negotiations with the Republican-controlled Senate.

The Senate passed a separate reform proposal last September.

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, sponsor of the Senate plan, said he had been working behind the scenes with House members and hopes a compromise can be agreed to before the legislature leaves for the summer, probably at the end of next week.

House Speaker Armond Budish, D-Beachwood, also is hopeful a compromise can be reached, although time is short, said Keary McCarthy, Budish’s spokesman.

Currently, the five-member Apportionment Board draws new state legislative districts after each census. Separately, the legislature draws new U.S. House districts.

The Apportionment Board is made up of the governor, auditor, secretary of state and a legislator from each party.

The party that holds two of the statewide offices – as Republicans did after the 2000 census when current districts were drawn– has a political advantage in drawing new districts.

Because its uncertain which party will control two of those three offices after this November’s election, now is the time to try for reform, backers have said. The current system lets the politicians choose their voters but voters should pick their politicians, said Husted.

The Senate version would eliminate the Apportionment Board and 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 and at least two voters would have to come from commission members not in the majority party.

The new commission would approve plans for both legislative and U.S. House districts. Compactness and competitiveness would be emphasized. Any citizen could submit plans.

The House version would keep the Apportionment Board and apply only to state legislative districts. After each census, citizens could submit proposals to the board based on detailed criteria: competitive fairness; political competitiveness; communities of interest and compactness.

The board would administer the process but the winning plan would be determined by a public competition using the predetermined criteria, not political give and take.

Challenges would be settled by a judicial tribunal.

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