Ohio Redistricting Commission unveils proposed new Congressional map

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The bipartisan Ohio Redistricting Commission on Thursday unveiled a proposed new Congressional map.

The proposed map has 15 counties that are split, but no county is split more than once. Thirteen of the 15 districts have 786,630 people, while the other two have 786,629. Six municipalities and 11 townships are split.

Currently, Republicans hold 10 of the 15 Congressional seats. The proposed map is more GOP friendly, and could see Republicans pick up one to two more seats.

The commission heard testimony about the proposed map on Thursday. Some speakers called the new map a gerrymander and said this proposed map does not represent what Ohioans had in mind when they passed a Constitutional amendment in 2018 to reform the redistricting process.

Gov. Mike DeWine said he is in favor of the proposed map. He said the goal was to propose a map that will get Democrats on board, and it appears that will happen.

"These are all negotiations, and in negotiations, no one gets what they want," DeWine said. "There's going to be people that are going to be unhappy with the map, and it's not exactly what Republicans would have drawn. It's not where Democrats were drawn. It's a compromise."

The commission has until Friday to approve a map before it moves to the Statehouse, where only a simple majority would be required to pass a new map. Watch previous coverage in the player above.

A second hearing is required before the map can be approved, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday.

Democrats had initially proposed a map that had eight right-leaning seats and seven left-leaning seats. Democrats said Ohio is about 45% blue, while Republicans argued that recent elections show this is a very red state.

"We are committed to trying to find fairness for the people of Ohio, but this system that we have in the long run is probably going to need to be fixed again," Ohio Sen. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission is made up of seven state leaders, including Democrat and Republican lawmakers, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Auditor Keith Faber and Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

Ohio is legally -- and the only state -- required to draw a new Congressional map because the 2022 map did not pass with bipartisan support.

"There's always going to be some anonymous chatter, but I think the feedback we've gotten has been overwhelmingly positive as far as our caucus is concerned," State Rep. Bryan Stewart (R-Ashville) said. "It would be a miracle if we had a congressional map that every single person in the world approved of."

Sentiment toward the map was mixed to opposed, according to those who spoke out during the presentation.

"Who are the members of this commission really working for?" Ohioan Zachary Gibbs said. "Are you working for Ohioans? Are you working for sitting and future congressional representatives who seem to forget about Ohio as soon as that plane takes off for D.C.?"

"Just because you can screw us and you can gerrymander these maps, does not mean that you should do it," another speaker said.

Republicans in other red states have redrawn their boundaries mid-cycle at the request of President Donald Trump to help Republicans expand their slim House margin in the midterm elections, where a president's party typically loses seats. That has prompted some blue states, like California, to also attempt to redraw their maps.

This story includes reporting from David Rees and Delaney Ruth.