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Legislator Sees Advantages To Drawing New Redistricting Maps For Only Four Years

Redrawing new Ohio House, Senate and congressional district maps is dragging into primary season.
Andy Chow, Statehouse News Bureau
Redrawing new Ohio House, Senate and congressional district maps is dragging into primary season.

The Ohio legislature has until the end of the week to approve a new congressional district map after the previous map was invalidated by the state supreme court. As the process continues, it seems that a provision in the state constitution intended to help lawmakers reach a compromise might be backfiring.

Republicans and Democrats have failed to reach a bipartisan agreement on new legislative and congressional district maps. Due to a change in the state constitution, that means the maps will only last four-years.

Republican House Speaker Bob Cupp says the threat of a four-year map was supposed to encourage the parties to work together.

"I don't think it's worked out that way. In fact, the incentive may be to do a four year map and to see what happens in four years and whether that changes the political dynamics."

Other redistricting reform advocates added to the criticism saying four-year maps allow both parties to weigh their options for the future.