Ohio Dems Kill Redisticting Proposal
The AP has this story on the maneuverings on the floor of the Ohio House today, regarding proposed constitutional amendments that would overhaul the state's redistricting system. A total of 60 votes were needed to pass the resolution, which was sponsored by Dayton-area Republican Kevin DeWine (HJR 13). The vote was 53-42 in favor of this proposal, which would have created a bipartisan seven-person commission.

After the vote on HJR 13, Rep. DeWine did something interesting and unexpected: He substituted a different plan that Democrats had supported last year. This can be seen as an attempt to call the Democrats' bluff. According to the AP, this proposal got 57 votes -- with all but one Democrat voting against it. Bluff called, it would seem.

For those who support redistricting reform, this is a disappointing development. The uncertainty surrounding the post-2010 composition of the redistricting commission, which I described here, makes this year the ideal time for changes. It's less likely, though not impossible, that the conditions for redistricting amendments will exist after this year's elections for the state offices, including Governor, which hold seats on the redistricting commission under the current state constitution.

The AP reports that, "Democrats saw [today's maneuverings] as a Republican tactic to blame them for the failure in election campaigns." That may be so. But to my mind, today's developments expose the disingenuousness of Ohio's Democrats, at least those in the House, when it comes to redistricting. They supported Issue 4 last year, when it appeared to serve their partisan interests, but now appear resolutely opposed to redistricting reform in any form, given their perceived opportunity to control the post-2010 process. - posted by Dan Tokaji @ 5:05 PM