By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
As the battle over redistricting lines wages on, the Wood County Board of Elections is preparing for the primary election – whenever that may be.
The board met Monday morning to take action due to another redistricting plan being tossed by the Ohio Supreme Court.
The Wood County Board of Elections voided the certifications of candidates approved at the Feb. 8 meeting, certified candidates following the new lines, and authorized the directors to amend the absentee advertisement policy.
It’s unknown if the Ohio Supreme Court will approve the latest version of the redistricting maps, so the Wood County Board of Elections wants to be able to change the absentee information if needed, according to directors Terry Burton and Julie Baumgardner.
“Since we are not wholly confident we have clarity,” from the state, the elections office wants to be ready to pivot if needed, Burton said.
As of Monday, the voting lines in Wood County had been redrawn.
“The voters are in the right district as of this moment,” Burton said.
According to the latest lines drawn, Wood County will split for legislative and congressional districts:
- Ohio House: Most of Wood County will remain in the one house district, but Lake Township and Northwood will be broken off into a different district.
- Ohio Senate: All of Wood County will remain in the same senate district.
- Congressional: The central and southern parts of Wood County will remain in the 5th District. Broken off to join the 9th District will be Lake Township, parts of Middleton Township, Millbury, Northwood, Perrysburg, Perrysburg Township, Rossford and Walbridge.
For voters unsure of where the redistricting has put them, Burton suggested doing a little homework.
“The best thing for voters to do is go to the Secretary of State’s website and look up their address,” he said.
But it remains unknown if the latest lines can stand up to challenges by groups that believe the districts are still drawn unfairly. Any further delays for drawing new lines will mean Ohio’s primary election will have to be delayed.
“I don’t know if it’s going to happen on May 3,” Burton said. “If these lines are moved again, these dates are going to have to move.”
This wouldn’t be the first time that has happened, according to Burton. The primary election in 1980 had to be delayed until June due to redistricting issues.
“New process, same fight,” Burton said.
Some board of elections members were less than confident that the current lines would stand.
“See you in a week or two,” board member Andy Newlove said.
“Until we do this again,” board member Mike Zickar said.
But as of Monday, the board of elections office was being told by the Secretary of State to prepare for a May primary.
Last week, legislative leaders and the state’s chief elections officer dug their heels in on continuing on with the May primary election, even as Ohio groups sought invalidation of the latest congressional redistricting map.
The League of Women Voters and a group of Ohio citizens represented by the National Redistricting Action Fund had differing opinions on next steps if the court invalidated the map, with the NRAF asking the court to take over, but the LWV saying the map should be sent back to the courts for very specific revisions.
The legislative leaders argued that the Ohio Redistricting Commission is a “creature of the Ohio Constitution,” but with duties provided to it “independent of any other branch of government in Ohio.”
