State legislators reach deal on new district maps

A compromise in the Ohio Statehouse has been reached that will reunite the two planned 2012 primaries next year back into one, and end the standoff over recently drawn redistricting maps.

Ohio taxpayers faced a potential $15 million bill for holding two primaries instead of one, and that will now be avoided. A compromise bill was passed last week that will roll the June U.S. presidential and congressional primaries back into March, along with the rest of the elections in the state.

In a statement following passage of the new plan, state Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-Athens, said she was glad there is finally a resolution on the "impasse created by majority Republicans hyper-partisan redistricting process."

The redistricting process had been conducted by the Ohio Apportionment Board, which held a 4-to-1 Republican advantage.

The new U.S. Congressional district map for Ohio leaves the majority of Athens County still in the same district as the old map – Ohio's 15^th. The shape has changed slightly. The district includes all of Athens County except the two southeastern-most townships, which are located in Ohio's 6^th. It includes Morgan, Perry, Hocking, Vinton, Fairfield, Pickaway, Clinton, Madison and parts of Franklin, Ross and Highland counties.

The race for that district, as of now, stands between incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Columbus, and Democratic Athens Law Director Pat Lang.

With the compromise, however, filing for that seat is once again open. Dec. 7 had been the previous filing deadline. Ohio Secretary of State spokesperson Matt McClellan said Friday the new filing deadline date will be Dec. 30.

"That only applies to candidates for president and congress," he said. "Everybody else who filed on Dec. 7, they're done. Nothing else changes for them."

McClellan said that Ohio's only primary will be the one in March now.

Meanwhile, Phillips described the new map as only "slightly better" than the old one.

"At the end of the day, I felt that it was my responsibility to protect Ohio taxpayers by finding a way to clean up the mess caused by this flawed process," she said. "Redistricting has been badly mismanaged, and I urge the Inspector General and the Legislative Inspector General to investigate these abuses of the process. In the meantime, in order to reduce confusion for the voters, take steps towards reform, and save scarce resources, we came to a compromise."