Sen. Sykes Comments on State Legislative Maps Presented by Republican Caucuses

Today, state Senator Vernon Sykes (D-Akron), co-chair of the Ohio Redistricting Commission, released the following statement after a state legislative redistricting plan was presented by Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima) on behalf of their caucuses during a meeting of the Ohio Redistricting Commission: “State legislative maps must comply with the reform approved by Ohioans in 2015 and the federal Voting Rights Act. So far, the Republican majority has not produced an analysis that shows how their maps respect statewide voter preferences over the past 10 years. They also admitted they purposely did not consider racial and demographic data while drawing the maps. Those are two serious causes for concern that put their proposal’s constitutionality in doubt.”