Redistricting Roundup 3/2/2022

To date, 36 States have adopted Congressional District Maps, and 37 States have adopted Legislative District Maps.

Louisiana

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), has until March 14, to Sign or Veto the Legislature’s New Congressional and Legislative Maps, or allow them to become Law without his Signature.

The Legislature Approved those Maps during a Special Legislative Session that ended Feb. 18. Republicans have Majorities in both Chambers of the Louisiana Legislature.

Regarding the State’s Congressional Map: Republicans passed Two Identical Maps, Senate Bill 5 and House Bill 1, that would maintain the Status Quo of a Single Majority Black District, and would all but Guarantee Louisiana sends Five Republicans and One Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives, in the Congressional Midterms this Fall.

After the Legislature approved the Maps, Gov. Edwards said, "I remain adamant that the maps should reflect the growth of the African American population in our state over the last 10 years…and I do have concerns that several of the maps do not fulfill that moral and legal requirement."

The Congressional Redistricting Bill passed the State Senate, 27-10, strictly along Party Lines. The State House of Representatives approved it 64-31, with 61 Republicans, Two Independents, and One Democrat Voting in favor, and 27 Democrats, Three Republicans, and One Independent voting against.

Ohio

The Ohio Redistricting Commission Voted 4-3 to Approve New Legislative District Boundaries on Feb. 24, and Plaintiffs had until Feb. 28 to file Objections to those Maps, with the Ohio Supreme Court. The Commission has until March 3, to respond to those Objections before the Court rules on the Constitutionality of the Maps, which is expected next week.

The Maps the Redistricting Commission approved on Thursday, favor Republicans to win 54% and Democrats to win 46% of Ohio’s State Legislative Districts. That matches the Percentage of the Statewide Vote each Party got during the Last Decade’s worth of Statewide, Partisan Elections.

Groups Challenging the Maps say that 19 House and Seven Senate Seats, lean Democratic by less than 4%, while No Republican Districts are that Close.

In Two 4-3 rulings on Jan. 12 and Feb. 7, the Ohio Supreme Court Struck Down Commission-passed Legislative Maps, for Not adhering to the State's 2015 Constitutional Amendment that created the Bipartisan State Legislative Redistricting Commission. The Amendment requires that the Districts are Contiguous and Forbids District Plans from Favoring or Disfavoring either Political Party.

The Redistricting Commission also met on March 1, to Draw New Congressional District Boundaries. The State Supreme Court ruled 4-3, on Jan. 14, that the Map State Lawmakers approved was Unconstitutional.

Ohio's GOP-controlled Legislature passed a Map in November 2021 that could have given the GOP a 12-3 Advantage.

The current Candidate Filing Deadline for Major-Party Congressional and Legislative Candidates in Ohio is March 4.










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