A federal court panel on Wednesday decided not to delay Ohio’s May 3 primary — for now.
The three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio reserved the right to intervene — perhaps by moving the primary to Aug. 2 — if the state doesn’t resolve its redistricting chaos by April 20. Legislative and congressional maps that were supposed to be finalized last year are still tied up in the Ohio Supreme Court.
During an hours long hearing Wednesday, judges asked top Ohio elections officials for help determining whether to delay the primary and floated numerous alternatives to a May 3 primary — from using the state’s 2010 map to imposing an third map that’s been found unconstitutional to having a special master draw brand-new maps
The primary, one of the first high-profile nominating contests of the year, is in limbo after the state Supreme Court ruled repeatedly that maps drawn by the Republican-dominated Ohio Redistricting Commission were unconstitutional. Democrats responded by seeking to delay the primary to give time to rewrite maps in a way that could be used this year, when control of Congress hinges on just a few seats.