Redistricting, Jim Jordan and a bus fight
The Ohio Supreme Court told Republicans to go back and draw a new set of maps and U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan told the January 6th committee to go away.
We break down what it all means on this week’s episode of Ohio Politics Explained.
It’s a podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau where we catch you up on the state’s political news in 15 minutes or less. This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Jessie Balmert.
1) It’s redistricting day, again
The Ohio Redistricting Commission got 10 days to come up with a new set of maps for the state’s House and Senate districts.
The news came down in a 4-3 decision from the Ohio Supreme Court. The landmark decision said the maps, which were drawn by the Republican majority on the commission, unfairly favored the GOP.
Justice Melody Stewart, who wrote the majority opinion, told the commission to use statewide voter averages from the last decade as their guideposts. About 54% of Ohioans voted for GOP candidates over the last decade while 46% picked Democrats.
“The commission is required to attempt to draw a plan in which the statewide proportion of Republican-leaning districts to Democratic-leaning districts closely corresponds to those percentages,” she wrote.
2) Russo takes the lead
Democratic Rep. Allison Russo is the new leader for Ohio’s House Democrats.
The Upper Arlington Democrat is in her second term in the House and represents Hilliard, parts of Columbus and southwestern Franklin County.
If her name sounds familiar, that’s because Russo recently ran against now U.S. Rep Mike Carey for the seat vacated by Republican Steve Stivers.
3) Jim Jordan is a ‘no’
Rep. Jim Jordan says he won’t be testifying in front of the committing investigating the Capitol riot.
In a letter he posted on Twitter, the Urbana Republican gave two reasons why: He “has no relevant information,” and even if he did, the committee is too biased to conduct a proper investigation.
4) A big yellow bus fight
Groveport Madison, a school district in Franklin County, sued the state this week over a fine it’s getting for not busing kids to their private and charter schools.
Ohio law requires public school districts to bus all eligible kids, and it can fine districts for “consistent or prolonged” periods of non-compliance. Ohio’s Department of Education recently defined those terms as 10 days in a semester or 10 days in a row.
Attorneys for Groveport Madison argued schools across the country are facing bus driver shortages right now, and that 10-day line in the sand is not only unfair, it’s also unconstitutional.
Listen to “Ohio Politics Explained” on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link at the top of the article.
The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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