On December 12, the Ohio legislature passed HJR 12. It will be presented to the voters in the November 2015 election. It would require that state legislative districts be drawn so as not to favor or disfavor any particular party. It would also require the district boundaries to avoid splitting neighborhoods, cities, and towns, except when necessary. If it passes, it would still leave redistricting in the hands of elected state politicians, including the legislature and some of the statewide elected executive posts.
One more hack distraction from the AUTOMATIC minority rule gerrymanders due to single member districts — whoever is making the districts.
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P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
The Ohio Constitution already contains provisions that should avoid unnecessary splitting of counties, townships, and cities; but it has consistently (4 out of 5 times) been interpreted in a quite liberal way such that all precedents effectively ignore the intent of the constitution.
Prior to adoption of the current redistricting provisions in 1967, Ohio hardly ever changed legislative district boundaries, which were based on whole counties, but instead had a fractional apportionment based on population. Unfortunately, Mark Hanna got that amended to guarantee even small counties a single representative, and larger counties elected all their legislators at large, which took down the whole fractional apportionment, which was quite clever and fair.
Based on that history of over 100 years of not splitting counties, the 1967 provisions should have been interpreted to limit as much as possible the splitting of smaller counties.
While the current constitution discourages splitting of city wards, there is no such provision in the new amendment. I’m not sure where your claim of avoiding the splitting of neighborhoods comes from.
The big difference is procedural. The composition of the commission is the same as it is now, the governor, secretary of state, and auditor, and one person appointed by 4 legislative leaders. But the new amendment requires approval by two members of each party. If that can not be achieved, then a simple majority can concur, but that plan will only be effective for two elections of the House, at which time a newly constituted commission will produce a new plan for the following three elections of the redistricting decade.