The Ohio Redistricting Commission has until the end of the day Friday to come up with a bipartisan agreement on a congressional map. Republicans and Democrats have been working behind closed doors, and there are indications that an agreement might be reached soon.
Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said she’s been talking to Republican leaders. She said she is hopeful. And she said "anything is possible."
“We're still not totally in any kind of place where there's where I feel confident there's 100% agreement on anything. But we have had good conversations," Antonio told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
When asked to explain how close they are to an agreement behind closed doors, Antonio wasn't specific: “I don’t know what would be in the hearts of minds of my colleagues on the other side. All I can say is we have had productive conversations.”
An Ohio Redistricting Commission meeting is set for Thursday afternoon. A map has not yet been publicly unveiled by Republicans, though Democrats introduced one last month.
At the first meeting of the commission last week, chair Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said GOP legislative leaders have been talking about a possible map, but said Democrats have the upper hand.
"I think the ball is kind of in the Democrats' court to decide what deal they are or not willing to take," Stewart told reporters.
Two years ago, Antonio and then-House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) agreed to bipartisan state legislative maps adopted by the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The Democrats said they voted for the House and Senate maps because of concerns that majority Republicans could push for maps that could result in fewer Democratic seats.
Both had also said they were looking toward the November 2024 ballot issue that would change the map-drawing process. Voters soundly rejected creating a non-partisan panel of citizens to draw lines, taking the process away from elected officials.
