Sykes Statement on State Legislative Maps Adopted on Party Lines

Today, state Senator Vernon Sykes (D-Akron), co-chair of the Ohio Redistricting Commission, issued the following statement after Republican members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted state legislative maps that disregard the proportionality requirement the Ohio Supreme Court instructed the Commission to comply with and continue to gerrymander Ohio’s communities to give Republicans an unearned advantage:

“The constitutional provision, as interpreted by the Court, required the Commission to attempt to comply with the proportionality goals. This requires evidence. It requires more than just saying, ‘I tried.’”