Ohio pauses preparations for May 3 primary amid map flap
Mar 18, 2022, 9:52 AM | Updated: 3:10 pm
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s top elections official is pausing certain preparations for the May 3 primary in the face of a court decision invalidating a third set of GOP-drawn maps of new legislative districts.
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose coupled a directive issued to county election boards Thursday night with a two-page letter to fellow members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission explaining that counties are now “simply out of time” to complete the work necessary to hold elections for state representatives and state senators as scheduled.
His order prohibits counties from altering or sending ballots until further notice and pauses reprogramming of voter registration and tabulating systems. It instructs boards to continue recruiting poll workers, advertising voter registration information and conducting other tasks unrelated to the maps. LaRose finalized a deal with the Justice Department on Friday allowing 10 extra days for the return of military and overseas ballots.
But the secretary of state does not have the power to change Ohio’s primary election date. LaRose said that decision now must come from either the Legislature or “immediate action of a federal court.”
LaRose indicated in a string of tweets on Friday that U.S. House contests will go forward, however, despite a constitutional challenge over Ohio’s second congressional map still awaiting action at the Ohio Supreme Court.
U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley reopened a connected federal lawsuit Friday filed by a group of GOP voters, after they had pleaded to have their case expedited, and appointed a three-judge panel to hear the case.
Meanwhile, a growing chorus of interest groups and politicians of both parties has begun calling on lawmakers to delay the primary — to June, or even August — in light of the latest ruling.
LaRose blasted national Democrats and the Ohio Supreme Court for the predicament. He accused the Biden administration of intentionally delaying census results on which maps are built, deep-pocketed “out of state special interests” of a time-eating litigation strategy and the high court’s bipartisan majority of dawdling in its deliberations.
“Regardless, we’ve never let up in the effort to make a complete May 3 primary election a success, and I’m confident we’re prepared to do that,” he wrote.
The U.S. Census Bureau was supposed to deliver new population tallies to states last spring, kicking off the once-per-decade redrawing of political boundaries. The agency attributed a monthslong delay to difficulties presented by the coronavirus pandemic in conducting the head count, which mostly took place in 2020 — during the presidency of Republican Donald Trump.
In its decision Wednesday night, the Supreme Court ruled the third set of legislative maps remains gerrymandered in favor of Republicans, in violation of the state Constitution.
The court faulted two leading lawmakers on the Republican-dominated Redistricting Commission — Senate President Matt Huffman and House Speaker Bob Cupp — for allowing a secretive, partisan map-making process and gave the panel until March 28 to remedy the situation.
Voting rights and Democratic groups behind lawsuits against the maps also faulted LaRose, suggesting he and the commission’s Republican majority have acted defiantly against passing maps that would satisfy the courts, the Constitution and voters.
The Ohio Redistricting Commission has scheduled a hearing for Saturday to discuss new maps.
Meanwhile, some House Republicans were considering drafting articles of impeachment against Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, according to a tweet by one lawmaker and an email sent to members of the Republican State Central Committee and shared with The Associated Press. USA Today Network Ohio first reported the push.
O’Connor, 70, is a GOP moderate who has joined the court’s three Democrats in repeatedly invalidating Republican-drawn maps. A former lieutenant governor and state public safety director, she steps down Dec. 31 due to age limits.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, whose son sits alongside O’Connor on the high court, declined to join the fray against O’Connor when speaking to reporters Thursday.
He said he is “taking the lead” to try to resolve the crisis.
DeWine said he is urging fellow members of the commission to pass a resolution requiring the three top mapmakers — one for Senate Republicans, one for House Republicans and one working jointly for the Democratic caucuses — to get in a room and draw new, constitutionally compliant maps.
“There are other options, but the Supreme Court has only given 10 days to do this,” he said. “And the idea that we’re going to be able to go out and hire somebody new and have them do this work — and do this work in 10 days — I think presents some very significant challenges.”
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Associated Press reporter Andrew Welsh-Huggins contributed to this report.
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