Ohio officials support redistricting reform - their way

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has come out in favor of reforming the state’s redistricting process, but also believes that it must be done through certain means. “If we do not act, I believe outside groups will move forward with their own plans, without the benefit of the public input process and thorough review the Constitutional Modernization Commission is capable of providing,” Husted said, quoted in the Dayton Daily News. A coalition of groups including Network partners Common Cause Ohio and League of Women Voters of Ohio are working on a constitutional amendment to put forth this Fall.

In the Columbus Dispatch, the state Speaker of the House says that redistricting should be looked at in the near future. The redistricting bill passed in December stipulates that a legislative task force be created to look at alternative redistricting processes and deliver a recommendation by June 2012.

Dayton Daily News: Political Map Battle Likely to Continue
Columbus Dispatch: Speaker shows lukewarm interest in redistricting