Trumbull would be the only county in the state with two Ohio House districts — in two separate Senate districts — under a legislative map introduced by the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus.

The map, proposed at Tuesday’s Ohio Redistricting Commission meeting, has virtually no chance of passing with Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, and a commission member, raising objections without taking a close look at it.

But the map shows the issues Trumbull County is going to have with redistricting as its population loss means one or both of its House seats are going to have to include portions — and possibly large ones — of another county.

“As was the situation in the 2010 reapportionment plan, Northeast Ohio presents an impossibility for full compliance for each county with more than one ratio of representation,” the Senate Democratic Caucus report reads. “In compliance (with the Ohio Constitution), the minimum of a single county, Trumbull County, has each of its two House districts in two separate Senate districts.”

PARTY BREAKOUT

The Democratic Senate proposal would put much of Trumbull – though not its most-populous communities — in a Republican district, renamed the 65th, with a large portion of Ashtabula County.

A strong Democratic district in the county, however, would include Warren, Niles, Girard, Hubbard and Liberty.

The proposal would put Mahoning in two House districts as it currently is, but change some of the communities.

Of the two larger proposed districts in Mahoning, one would be solidly Democratic and one would lean Democratic. Currently, one is Democratic and the other Republican though the latter voted for Democrats until 2018.

Among the proposed Senate districts, one would include all of Mahoning and the new 64th District in Trumbull County and be Democratic while the district that includes much of Trumbull’s communities would be in a Republican Senate district that also includes all of Portage and parts of Ashtabula and Geauga counties.

The Senate Democratic proposal would also separate Mahoning from Columbiana County in a Senate district. That district is currently represented by Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem.

Columbiana would join seven other Republican counties south of it in a Senate district while it would join a part of Jefferson County in a solid Republican House district.

OBJECTION

Huffman objected to the Democratic proposal saying it violates the state Constitution because it doesn’t take into account incumbent senators who aren’t up for re-election until 2024.

“Half of the senators in the General Assembly are protected by the Constitution,” said Huffman, who added that “creating a map isn’t going to be easy.”

The Constitution requires senators not up for re-election next year to represent the new district with the largest portion of the population of their former district.

If there are conflicts between two senators, the redistricting commission resolves those issues, said state Sen. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron and the commission’s co-chairman with House Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima.

“We believe our plan contains no such conflict and fully complies with the Ohio Constitution,” Sykes said.

Sykes added that the map “is a starting point” and expects changes to be made.

The Senate Democrats map would give Republicans the advantage in 54 House districts to 45 for Democrats.

Republicans currently control the House 64 to 35 so this proposal would have the GOP give up 10 seats.

Also, the Senate Democrats map would give Republicans 19 favorable Senate districts to 14 for Democrats. The current Senate makeup is 25 Republicans and 8 Democrats.

REPUBLICANS

Cupp said Republicans are carefully developing a map, but couldn’t say when it would be presented to the public. He also pointed out that other groups or citizens can propose maps that the commission could adopt.

“Candidly, it sounds like there are maps being drawn by Republican caucuses,” said Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican and commission member.

House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, D-Akron and the other Democrat on the seven-member commission, pressed Cupp at Tuesday’s meeting on when a map would be ready. She is Vernon Sykes’ daughter.

Cupp said one isn’t ready and blamed the delays in getting census data from the federal government for the problems.

Emilia Sykes pointed out that the commission is supposed to adopt a state legislative district map by today with Sept. 15 as the deadline for a final 10-year map.

The commission also didn’t schedule another meeting.

The commission had 10 public hearings last week, including one in Youngstown, with nearly all of the members missing most of the meetings.

The commission must have three additional public hearings on three separate days in different communities once a map is proposed.

For a map that’s good for 10 years to be adopted by the commission, at least one of the two Democrats on it must vote in favor of that map by Sept. 15.

A four-person majority, without Democratic support, is needed for a four-person map.

There are five Republicans on the seven-member commission. In addition to Cupp, Huffman and LaRose, the other Republicans are Gov. Mike DeWine and Auditor Keith Faber.

dskolnick@vindy.com

dskolnick@tribtoday.com