By DAVID SKOLNICK

For The Times Leader

Gov. Mike DeWine is not looking forward to going through another redistricting process to draw new state legislative and congressional lines.

Asked about it, DeWine said: “Do I have to talk about it? Do I have to get involved?”

The maps that were used in the 2022 election were ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court — the state legislative maps rejected five times, and the U.S. House ones twice — so new maps must be approved again, likely later this year in time for the 2024 election.

The unconstitutional maps were created for the first time under a system overwhelmingly approved by Ohio voters in 2015 for the state Legislature, and in 2018 for Congress, that gave more say to the party not in power.

This created the Ohio Redistricting Commission — consisting of two legislative Democrats and two legislative Republicans as well as the governor, auditor and secretary of state, who are all Republicans — to vote on maps. The General Assembly gets first crack at the congressional maps before it goes to the commission.

“I wasn’t really involved in writing the last constitutional amendments, but I kept telling people the next time you do this, leave the governor out if I’m the governor,” DeWine said during a recent interview.

DeWine said the constitutional amendments “were well-intended,” and “everyone thought it would work and the reality is it didn’t work. It didn’t work very well at all so I think we have to try something else in the long run.”

Maureen O’Connor, the recently retired Ohio Supreme Court chief justice and the only Republican on the court to side with the three Democrats to overturn the maps seven times in 4-3 votes, is working toward a 2024 constitutional amendment on redistricting. She hasn’t disclosed the details, but in court decisions she called for an independent commission to draw the maps.

SOMETHING

DIFFERENT

DeWine said he didn’t know how he wants the process to change, but says something different is needed.

“In the short run, we’re stuck with what we have and we’ll have to play it out,” he said. “But in the long run, we probably need to take a deep breath and take a look at this again. We’re stuck with it. We’ll have to play it out now until there’s a change in the constitution. It didn’t work very well the last time. We’re trying to think of what we can do to help the process.”

With the rejected maps that were supposed to make districts compact and reflect the statewide voting trends, Republicans gained three seats in the state House and one in the Senate. Republicans have a 67-32 majority in the House and 25-8 in the Senate.

The congressional map went from 12-4 Republican to 10-5 Republican with Ohio losing one seat last year in the national decennial census because of falling population trends.

DeWine said he thought discussions with Republican and Democratic legislators on maps would result in a compromise, but neither side was interested in that. Nevertheless, DeWinevoted in favor of each unconstitutional map.

“I thought we could get an agreement,” he said. “I was wrong. Neither side wanted to move. We could not get an agreement.”

Republicans are expected to have a more friendly state Supreme Court if new maps are challenged. O’Connor was forced to retire because of the state’s age-limit law for judges with Republican Sharon Kennedy, who voted in favor of every map, elected chief justice. DeWine appointed Republican Joe Deters, a former state treasurer and a longtime friend, to fill Kennedy’s unexpired term on the court.

The state Legislature will again consider putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot — the earliest would be in November — to increase the threshold to pass future amendments to 60 percent approval rather than the current simple majority.

An effort in December during the legislative lame-duck session to pass the bill stalled.

The proposal is opposed by Democrats and about 150 organizations, including those representing unions, voter rights groups, faith-based groups and minorities. Also, the conservative American Policy Roundtable objects to it.

Most legislative Republicans favor it, but it may not progress in the state House as killing it is believed to be part of reason Democrats backed state Rep. Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, in his successful bid to be House speaker over Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova, who had a majority of Republicans back him for the job.

DeWine declined to give an opinion on the 60-percent threshold proposal.

“I haven’t taken a position yet,” he said.

DeWine pointed out that the issue doesn’t require his signature to appear on the ballot.

ABORTION

LAW

DeWine also brought up efforts by pro-choice supporters to overturn the state’s abortion law through a constitutional amendment, perhaps as soon as November.

He said: “I am pro-life. I signed the heartbeat bill. There’s been discussion in the Legislature about taking that bill and making sure there was no ambiguity in the bill to make sure doctors are informed. I think that’s certainly a good idea.”

The so-called heartbeat bill, which bans abortions around six weeks after conception, has been paused since September when a Hamilton County judge approved a preliminary injunction. Currently, abortions are legal in Ohio up to around 20 weeks. After that, they can only be done if the mother’s life is in danger.

DeWine wants clarity by legislators on when doctors could perform abortions with a potential constitutional amendment looming.

He said: “I think as the Legislature mulls (the heartbeat bill) issue over, it’s important to remember under Ohio law this can come up as a vote of the people, and we should look at this and come up with legislation we think can be sustained and survive a vote of the people brought by a group that is basically pro-choice.”