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Ohioans expected more

Three years ago, Ohio voters overwhelmingly said they wanted a constitutional amendment to create a bipartisan commission to redraw political boundaries each decade.

Monday, that commission decided not to do its job. Members of the commission are Gov. Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Auditor Keith Faber, state Speaker of the House Robert R. Cupp, state Sen. Vernon Sykes; state Senate President Matt Huffman; and state House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes. DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said the reason for their failure was that they had run out of time.

“In 2018 Ohioans sent a clear message on redistricting — we wanted a fair and transparent process. Today, once again, the Republican-led commission sent quite another message — they don’t care,” said Katy Shanahan, Ohio director for All On The Line. “Not about transparency in map drawing, not about ensuring public engagement opportunities, not about the constitutional requirements, and not about our democracy.”

Shanahan, whose organization is affiliated with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has good reason for using such aggressive language. Members of the commission are handing over the decision to the Republican-led state legislature. Lawmakers have a month to do what the commission wants us to believe it could not accomplish in three months.

Buckeye State residents already know what the process looks like when handled by lawmakers. That’s why they wanted better. But now, according to The Hill, the amendment will allow the majority party to force through its preferred maps — with the possibility that those boundaries would be in place for only four years if lawmakers decide the commission’s giving up amounts to a deadlock.

Commissioners knew what Ohioans expected and decided not to do it. That’s not the kind of thing voters forget.

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