Ohio Supreme Court Rejects Fourth Redistricting Attempt

The Supreme Court of Ohio has rejected the latest set of state legislative redistricting maps offered by the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The court wants the commission to reconvene and adopt a fifth set of maps. However, three federal judges could end up settling the redistricting dispute and establishing a separate primary election date (for Ohio House and Senate races) if the issue can’t be resolved by Wednesday, April 20.

Meanwhile, a federal judicial panel has decided it won’t block certification of Ohio’s May 3 primary election for U.S. House races, despite a request from a group alleging Voting Rights Act violations stemming from the redistricting process.

This week, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced that more than 71,000 absentee ballots had already been requested for the May 3 election and nearly 12,000 early votes had already been cast. 4/14/2022