Ohio Republicans saw draft congressional map days before Democrats, court filings show
Editor's note: This article has been corrected. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent a copy of the proposed congressional map to a candidate as it was presented to the public and Democrats at the Ohio Redistricting Commission meeting at 2 p.m. on March 1.
Democrats received details about that map in an email sent at 12:11 p.m., according to Senate Republicans. In court records, that email was timestamped 5:11 p.m. because of a time zone change that occurred when Senate Republicans responded to the records' request.
Records, revealed as part of a lawsuit against Ohio's congressional map passed on March 2, show the access that Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission had to the mapmaking process, access not extended to their Democratic colleagues.
The map, which is being used on the May 3 ballot even as it's challenged at the Ohio Supreme Court, would give Republicans an advantage in at least 10 of the 15 congressional districts. Only two districts, based in Cleveland and Columbus, would be "safe" seats for Democrats.
Democrats have complained about being cut out of the mapmaking process, often asked to vote on maps for legislative or congressional districts shortly after seeing them for the first time.
LaRose said he was aware that a congressional map was being drafted between Feb. 26 and March 2, according to his responses to attorneys' questions in the lawsuit. He first saw a draft on Feb. 27, texting Auditor Keith Faber about it that day. LaRose received a copy of the proposed plan on March 1 – the same day as Democrats.
On March 1, LaRose texted a copy of the map to congressional candidate Madison Gesiotto Gilbert as it was presented to the public and Democrats at the Ohio Redistricting Commission's meeting. He kept her in the loop as the map was approved on March 2.
“One more word of caution and you know this, the maps aren’t final until they are," LaRose wrote in a text message that morning. "I’ll keep you posted if there are any changes made before we pass the map today but of course there’s still always a chance they could get struck down again by the courts. That’s just a risk you need to calculate for in your decision making process.”
After the map passed, Gilbert swapped races from the 9th congressional district, where she was set to challenge Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, to the 13th congressional district, which has no incumbent. Gilbert was later endorsed by former President Donald Trump and could face Democratic state Rep. Emilia Sykes in November.
When did drafting begin?
Court filings indicate Republicans were working on a congressional map draft even earlier. On Feb. 2, House GOP mapmaker Blake Springhetti sent an email titled “Proposed Plan Information” to Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima; his chief of staff and Rep. D.J. Swearingen.
Ohio lawmakers punted mapmaking duties to the Ohio Redistricting Commission in early February, unable to get the needed votes for a congressional map to take effect right away. The proposed plan that Springhetti shared on Feb. 2 was never introduced as a bill.
The Ohio Supreme Court is reviewing the congressional map to determine if it meets voter-approved changes to curb partisan gerrymandering. Any decision is expected after the primary.
What's happening with state House and Senate maps?
Meanwhile, Democrats are asking Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission to work with them to craft new state House and Senate districts. The Ohio Supreme Court ordered the Ohio Redistricting Commission to submit a new plan by May 6 and the commission has yet to meet.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio filed a motion Tuesday, asking that commission members explain why they shouldn't be held in contempt of court for not working on legislative maps. A federal court decision removed much of that incentive by forecasting which maps they would impose on May 28 if the commission didn't act.
Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio redistricting: GOP saw draft congressional map days before Dems
