Legislative districts may be fall ballot issue - Kevin DeWine introducing measure to allow Ohio voters to change how redistricting is done.

Paper: Dayton Daily News (OH)

Date: May 5, 2006

COLUMBUS — Ohio voters may have a chance Nov. 7 to change the system for drawing state legislative and U.S. House districts.

State Rep. Kevin DeWine, R-Fairborn, said Thursday he will introduce a resolution next week to put a proposed constitutional amendment making the changes on the ballot.

New districts are drawn after each 10-year census.

The amendment would create an independent commission to determine the districts.

Now, the legislature draws U.S. House districts and the state apportionment board determines state legislative districts. Republicans currently control both bodies.

The House is likely to vote this month on the resolution, DeWine said.

House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, called the idea "real reform," but House Minority Leader Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus, questioned the timing of the proposal which, if passed, would not take effect until 2011.

The legislature has more pressing issues to deal with such as the price of gasoline and the cost of college, she said.

"I think there are a lot of issues our constituents would prefer we deal with," said Beatty, a Dayton native. Also, she said the proposal appears similar to a plan voters overwhelmingly rejected last year.

Support from 60 of the 99 House members is needed to put the measure on the ballot. In the 33-member Senate, 20 votes would be required.

Republicans control the House 60-39 and unless every Republican supported the proposal it would need some Democratic votes to pass. Republicans also control the state Senate, 22-11, and hold 12 of Ohio's 18 U.S. House seats.

DeWine has said the current system favors the party in power. The 2004 election results back him up. In 99 Ohio House races, Republicans got 50.8 percent of the overall vote and Democrats got 48.5 percent. Republicans, however, won 59 individual races — 60 percent. DeWine, with input from Democrats and Republicans, has been working on the new plan since voters last year rejected the redistricting proposal and three other election-related issues backed by Reform Ohio Now, a Democratic-leaning coalition.

If Democrats this year win two of the three statewide offices on the apportionment board and retained them in 2010, they could win control of legislative redistricting under the current system.

Drawing legislative districts

The way it is

The General Assembly draws Ohio's U.S. House districts.

A five-member apportionment board draws state legislative districts. The board is the governor, secretary of state, auditor and two legislators.

The proposed change

A seven-member, independent commission would determine the districts.

Any Ohio resident could submit a plan.

Competitiveness, for the first time, would be a factor in drawing districts.

The Republican and Democratic leaders in the Ohio House and Senate each would select one commission member. Those four appointees would choose the remaining three by unanimous vote, with the goal of ensuring a bipartisan and balanced commission.

Commission meetings would be public.

To pass, a plan would need five votes, including one from an appointed Democrat, one from an appointed Republican and one from the three joint appointees.

Author: William Hershey Staff Writer

Section: Local

Page: A6