COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 258 Saturday, officially establishing a new congressional map after the 2020 census.
The new map was introduced by Republicans Monday afternoon and passed through the state Senate Tuesday and the House Thursday.
Opponents say the new map still shows signs of gerrymandering and gives Republicans a 12-3 advantage.
“Signing these gerrymandered maps into law makes the governor as complicit as the Republican majority who passed them,” said House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes. “This is a shameful abuse of power, a sad day for our democracy, and another reminder that Republicans are unfit to lead our state.”
DeWine said SB 258 produces a “fair, compact, and competitive map” that has fewer counties and cities split between districts than other recent proposals and the current map.
“The SB 258 map keeps Lucas and Stark counties, as well as the Mahoning Valley, whole within single congressional districts for the first time in decades, and also keeps the cities of Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, and Toledo all whole within the same congressional map for the first time since the 1840s,” DeWine said in a statement. “With seven competitive congressional districts in the SB 258 map, this map significantly increases the number of competitive districts versus the current map.”
The new map will be law for the next four years instead of 10 since it passed without Senate Democrats’ support.
