A panel of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission met again Thursday to consider recommending how to alter the congressional redistricting process, which in its current form allows for rampant partisan gerrymandering. But, in what has become a familiar scene for redistricting reform supporters, the panel again decided not to take action on recommending changes to the process for the legislature to consider. The committee meets again on May 12. Fred Mills, chairman of the panel, said redistricting will be on the agenda and a vote will be scheduled. “Whether or not we’ll actually take a vote is another thing,” he said. The redistricting issue was pulled from the Legislative Branch and Executive Branch Committee in February and placed into a four-person subcommittee, which was supposed to have a recommendation ready within six weeks. That was 10 weeks ago.
The plan was studied further by a working group of the subcommittee. Meanwhile, Republican legislative leaders have expressed mild-at-best interest in changing the redistricting process.
“I do believe that the people that are part of that working group are doing the best they can to come up with solutions they think work,” said Catherine Turcer, a policy analysis for Common Cause Ohio and longtime advocate for redistricting reform. “The problem is, we need them to focus on voters and not partisan interests.”
While many members are working in good faith, Turcer said, “they started working on congressional redistricting reform in July 2013. We’re coming up on three years. At some point you just have to make a choice.”
Full Article: Once again, panel takes no action on redistricting | The Columbus Dispatch.