© 2024 WOSU Public Media
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Upper Arlington teen tries his hand at mapmaking as lawmakers continue to debate new maps

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), a member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission, talks to 14 year old Christopher Brown and his father Chris Brown at the Commission's meeting on March 27, 2022.
Karen Kasler
/
Ohio Public Radio
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), a member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission, talks to 14 year old Christopher Brown and his father Chris Brown at the Commission's meeting on March 27, 2022.

Though the redistricting saga has dragged on for months, many Ohioans are still engaged because of the impact on public policy that comes from the elections based on those maps.

Among those watching carefully is a central Ohio freshman who’s been watching more carefully than the average teenager.

Christopher Brown, 14, of Upper Arlington and his dad spent their Sunday at the Ohio Redistricting Commission meeting, watching a presentation from its outside mapmakers.

Brown submitted his own set of maps a few weeks ago.

“I've been interested in this process, and I looked at the constitutional that," Brown said. "While I know I definitely cannot make a map that can be used. It's interesting to see what I can do and look at how the process works and all that.”

Brown said he did maps that showed partisan splits but also even totals of residents in each. “A bit of both. It's proportional, though,” he said.

And as for his view of the whole process, he speaks for a lot of people who’ve been watching.

“I hope they have a map that finally it's going to be over,” Brown said.

The Ohio Supreme Court set a deadline of Monday for new legislative maps, so they can be submitted on Tuesday to the court for review.

Copyright 2022 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.