Congressional Redistricting has been completed for: 84.8% U.S. House Seats, 79.3% of State House Seats, and 90.0% of State Senate Seats.
The latest Redistricting News:
Maryland: On March 15th, the Maryland Court of Appeals Postponed the State’s Primary Election, from June 28th to July 19th. The Court also extended the Filing deadline for All Candidates from March 22nd to April 15th.
The Court said it had “received timely-filed petitions challenging the validity of the 2022 legislative districting plan enacted by the General Assembly” and that a Court-appointed Special Magistrate would hold Hearings on those Cases through March 25th, and file a Report with the Court on April 5th.
Maryland adopted Legislative Maps on Jan. 27th, when the State House Voted 95-42 to Approve the New boundaries. Earlier, the State Senate Voted 32-14 to do the same.
In Maryland, the Governor cannot Veto Legislative Maps. Maryland has a Divided Government: Republicans hold the Governorship, while Democrats have Majorities in both Chambers of the Legislature.
Missouri - Missouri became the 43rd State to complete Legislative Redistricting on March 15th, when the Judicial Redistricting Commission filed New State Senate District Boundaries with the Secretary of State. The House Independent Bipartisan Citizens Commission completed the State House’s District boundaries on Jan. 21st.
The Judicial Redistricting Commission’s Chair, Appeals Court Justice Cynthia Lynette Martin, said the Commission’s work, “has been thorough and labor intensive, and was purposefully undertaken with the goal to file a constitutionally compliant plan and map well in advance of the commission’s constitutional deadline to avoid disenfranchising voters given the candidate filing deadline and the deadline for preparing ballots.”
The Missouri Supreme Court, Appointed a Six-Judge Panel of State Appeals Court Justices on Jan. 11th, to conduct Legislative Redistricting after the Senate Independent Bipartisan Citizens Commission, Missed its Deadline in late 2021, to submit a Plan to the Secretary of State’s Office.
The biggest difference in this Map and that previous Map, is it shifts the weight of some of the Districts from Rural weighted Districts to evenly Split Districts, and even enhances the Suburban influence inside several republican Seats.
The New Map produces 7 solid Democratic Districts, and 3 likely Democratic Districts. On the Republican side the New Map produces 18 solid Republican Districts, and 3 more likely Republican Districts, with Two Competitive Districts, when the current Incumbents No longer seek Office.
Ohio - The Ohio Supreme Court ruled on March 16h, that Legislative District Boundaries, the Ohio Redistricting Commission had adopted on Feb. 24th, were Unconstitutional and gave the Commission until March 28th to Draft New Maps.
In a 4-3 Decision, the Court said the revised Maps Violate Sections 6 (A) and (B) of the State Constitution. Those Provisions, which came out of a 2015 Voter-Approved Constitutional Amendment, establishing the Redistricting Commission, require Legislative District boundariesNnot “be drawn primarily to favor or disfavor a political party.”
The Court’s Majority said, “we expect the commission to abide by its Article XI duty to draft a plan, not to simply adopt one drafted by legislative staff at the direction of members of one politcal party. While the dissenters may interpret the words of the Constitution that instruct the commission to draw a plan as meaning that members of one political party alone may draw the plan, we do not.”
In a Dissent, Justices Sharon L. Kennedy and Pat DeWine wrote: “The majority decrees electoral chaos. It issues an order all but guaranteed to disrupt an impending election and bring Ohio to the brink of a constitutional crisis.” They said the 2015 Amendment addressed what to do when a Minority Party doesn’t support a Commission Plan: “The Constitution…expressly provides that if the members fail to achieve bipartisan consensus, then the commission may introduce and adopt a General Assembly district plan by a party-line majority vote, with the consequence being that the plan lasts for only four years.”
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R), said on March 17th, that County Election Officials are unable to perform certain Primary Election Procedures associated with State Legislative Elections. He also said processes supporting the May 3rd Statewide, Congressional, and Local Primaries, are moving forward. Only the Legislature or a Court Order can Change the Primary Date.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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