As Introduced
135th General Assembly
Regular Session S. J. R. No. 6
2023-2024
Senator Blessing
A J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
Proposing to amend Section 2 of Article II and Sections 1, 3, 4, and 5 of Article XI of the Constitution of the State of Ohio to increase the membership of the General Assembly to 51 senators and 153 representatives beginning January 1, 2033.
Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, three-fifths of the members elected to each house concurring herein, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state, in the manner prescribed by law at the general election to be held on November 4, 2025, a proposal to amend Section 2 of Article II and Sections 1, 3, 4, and 5 of Article XI of the Constitution of the State of Ohio to read as follows:
ARTICLE II
Section 2. (A) Beginning January 1, 2033, the general assembly consists of one hundred fifty-three representatives and fifty-one senators. Before that date, the general assembly consists of ninety-nine representatives and thirty-three senators.
(B) Representatives shall be elected biennially by the electors of the respective house of representatives districts; their term of office shall commence on the first day of January next thereafter and continue two years.
(C)(1)
Senators
shall be elected by the electors of the respective senate districts;
their terms of office shall commence on the first day of January next
after their election. All
terms of senators which
(2)
Seventeen senators' terms shall commence
on the first day of January, 1969
2031,
and shall
be four years,
and all .
Thirty-four senators' terms
which
shall
commence
on the first day of January, 1971
2033.
Of those thirty-four senators, twenty-six senators' terms shall
be four years
and
eight senators' terms shall be two years, as designated in the
general assembly district plan used for the elections held in 2032.
Thereafter,
(3) Thereafter, except for the filling of vacancies for unexpired terms, senators shall be elected to and hold office for terms of four years.
(D) No person shall hold the office of state senator for a period longer than two successive terms of four years. No person shall hold the office of state representative for a period longer than four successive terms of two years. Terms shall be considered successive unless separated by a period of four or more years. Only terms beginning on or after January 1, 1993 shall be considered in determining an individual's eligibility to hold office. A two-year senate term served under division (C)(2) of this section shall not be considered in determining an individual's eligibility to hold office.
ARTICLE XI
Section 1. (A) The Ohio redistricting commission shall be responsible for the redistricting of this state for the general assembly. The commission shall consist of the following seven members:
(1) The governor;
(2) The auditor of state;
(3) The secretary of state;
(4) One person appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(5) One person appointed by the legislative leader of the largest political party in the house of representatives of which the speaker of the house of representatives is not a member;
(6) One person appointed by the president of the senate; and
(7) One person appointed by the legislative leader of the largest political party in the senate of which the president of the senate is not a member.
No appointed member of the commission shall be a current member of congress.
The legislative leaders in the senate and the house of representatives of each of the two largest political parties represented in the general assembly, acting jointly by political party, shall appoint a member of the commission to serve as a co-chairperson of the commission.
(B)(1) Unless otherwise specified in this article or in Article XIX of this constitution, a simple majority of the commission members shall be required for any action by the commission.
(2)(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2)(b) of this section, a majority vote of the members of the commission, including at least one member of the commission who is a member of each of the two largest political parties represented in the general assembly, shall be required to do any of the following:
(i) Adopt rules of the commission;
(ii) Hire staff for the commission;
(iii) Expend funds.
(b) If the commission is unable to agree, by the vote required under division (B)(2)(a) of this section, on the manner in which funds should be expended, each co-chairperson of the commission shall have the authority to expend one-half of the funds that have been appropriated to the commission.
(3) The affirmative vote of four members of the commission, including at least two members of the commission who represent each of the two largest political parties represented in the general assembly shall be required to adopt any general assembly district plan. For the purposes of this division and of Section 1 of Article XIX of this constitution, a member of the commission shall be considered to represent a political party if the member was appointed to the commission by a member of that political party or if, in the case of the governor, the auditor of state, or the secretary of state, the member is a member of that political party.
(C) At the first meeting of the commission, which the governor shall convene only in a year ending in the numeral one, except as provided in Sections 8 and 9 of this article and in Sections 1 and 3 of Article XIX of this constitution, the commission shall set a schedule for the adoption of procedural rules for the operation of the commission.
The
commission shall release to the public a proposed general assembly
district plan for the boundaries for each of the ninety-nine
house
of representatives districts
and
the
thirty-three senate
districts. The commission shall draft the proposed plan in the manner
prescribed in this article. Before adopting, but after introducing, a
proposed plan, the commission shall conduct a minimum of three public
hearings across the state to present the proposed plan and shall seek
public input regarding the proposed plan. All meetings of the
commission shall be open to the public. Meetings shall be broadcast
by electronic means of transmission using a medium readily accessible
by the general public.
The commission shall adopt a final general assembly district plan not later than the first day of September of a year ending in the numeral one. After the commission adopts a final plan, the commission shall promptly file the plan with the secretary of state. Upon filing with the secretary of state, the plan shall become effective.
Four weeks after the adoption of a general assembly district plan or a congressional district plan, whichever is later, the commission shall be automatically dissolved.
(D) The general assembly shall be responsible for making the appropriations it determines necessary in order for the commission to perform its duties under this article and Article XIX of this constitution.
Section
3. (A)
The whole population of the state, as determined by the federal
decennial census or, if such is unavailable, such other basis as the
general assembly may direct, shall be divided by the number
"ninety-nine"
of
representatives in the house of representatives and
by the number "thirty-three"
of
senators in the senate, and
the quotients shall be the ratio of representation in the house of
representatives and in the senate, respectively, for ten years next
succeeding such redistricting.
(B) A general assembly district plan shall comply with all of the requirements of division (B) of this section.
(1) The population of each house of representatives district shall be substantially equal to the ratio of representation in the house of representatives, and the population of each senate district shall be substantially equal to the ratio of representation in the senate, as provided in division (A) of this section. In no event shall any district contain a population of less than ninety-five per cent nor more than one hundred five per cent of the applicable ratio of representation.
(2) Any general assembly district plan adopted by the commission shall comply with all applicable provisions of the constitutions of Ohio and the United States and of federal law.
(3) Every general assembly district shall be composed of contiguous territory, and the boundary of each district shall be a single nonintersecting continuous line.
(C) House of representatives districts shall be created and numbered in the following order of priority, to the extent that such order is consistent with the foregoing standards:
(1) Proceeding in succession from the largest to the smallest, each county containing population greater than one hundred five per cent of the ratio of representation in the house of representatives shall be divided into as many house of representatives districts as it has whole ratios of representation. Any fraction of the population in excess of a whole ratio shall be a part of only one adjoining house of representatives district.
(2) Each county containing population of not less than ninety-five per cent of the ratio of representation in the house of representatives nor more than one hundred five per cent of the ratio shall be designated a representative district.
(3) The remaining territory of the state shall be divided into representative districts by combining the areas of counties, municipal corporations, and townships. Where feasible, no county shall be split more than once.
(D)(1)(a) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (D)(1)(b) and (c) of this section, a county, municipal corporation, or township is considered to be split if any contiguous portion of its territory is not contained entirely within one district.
(b) If a municipal corporation or township has territory in more than one county, the contiguous portion of that municipal corporation or township that lies in each county shall be considered to be a separate municipal corporation or township for the purposes of this section.
(c) If a municipal corporation or township that is located in a county that contains a municipal corporation or township that has a population of more than one ratio of representation is split for the purpose of complying with division (E)(1)(a) or (b) of this section, each portion of that municipal corporation or township shall be considered to be a separate municipal corporation or township for the purposes of this section.
(2) Representative districts shall be drawn so as to split the smallest possible number of municipal corporations and townships whose contiguous portions contain a population of more than fifty per cent, but less than one hundred per cent, of one ratio of representation.
(3) Where the requirements of divisions (B), (C), and (D) of this section cannot feasibly be attained by forming a representative district from whole municipal corporations and townships, not more than one municipal corporation or township may be split per representative district.
(E)(1) If it is not possible for the commission to comply with all of the requirements of divisions (B), (C), and (D) of this section in drawing a particular representative district, the commission shall take the first action listed below that makes it possible for the commission to draw that district:
(a) Notwithstanding division (D)(3) of this section, the commission shall create the district by splitting two municipal corporations or townships whose contiguous portions do not contain a population of more than fifty per cent, but less than one hundred per cent, of one ratio of representation.
(b) Notwithstanding division (D)(2) of this section, the commission shall create the district by splitting a municipal corporation or township whose contiguous portions contain a population of more than fifty per cent, but less than one hundred per cent, of one ratio of representation.
(c) Notwithstanding division (C)(2) of this section, the commission shall create the district by splitting, once, a single county that contains a population of not less than ninety-five per cent of the ratio of representation, but not more than one hundred five per cent of the ratio of representation.
(d) Notwithstanding division (C)(1) of this section, the commission shall create the district by including in two districts portions of the territory that remains after a county that contains a population of more than one hundred five per cent of the ratio of representation has been divided into as many house of representatives districts as it has whole ratios of representation.
(2) If the commission takes an action under division (E)(1) of this section, the commission shall include in the general assembly district plan a statement explaining which action the commission took under that division and the reason the commission took that action.
(3) If the commission complies with divisions (E)(1) and (2) of this section in drawing a district, the commission shall not be considered to have violated division (C)(1), (C)(2), (D)(2), or (D)(3) of this section, as applicable, in drawing that district, for the purpose of an analysis under division (D) of Section 9 of this article.
Section 4. (A) Senate districts shall be composed of three contiguous house of representatives districts.
(B)(1) A county having at least one whole senate ratio of representation shall have as many senate districts wholly within the boundaries of the county as it has whole senate ratios of representation. Any fraction of the population in excess of a whole ratio shall be a part of only one adjoining senate district.
(2) Counties having less than one senate ratio of representation, but at least one house of representatives ratio of representation, shall be part of only one senate district.
(3) If it is not possible for the commission to draw representative districts that comply with all of the requirements of this article and that make it possible for the commission to comply with all of the requirements of divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section, the commission shall draw senate districts so as to commit the fewest possible violations of those divisions. If the commission complies with this division in drawing senate districts, the commission shall not be considered to have violated division (B)(1) or (2) of this section, as applicable, in drawing those districts, for the purpose of an analysis under division (D) of Section 9 of this article.
(C) The number of whole ratios of representation for a county shall be determined by dividing the population of the county by the ratio of representation in the senate determined under division (A) of Section 3 of this article.
(D)
Senate districts shall be numbered from
consecutively
beginning with the number one
through
thirty-three and
as provided in Section 5 of this article.
Section 5. (A) At any time the boundaries of senate districts are changed in any general assembly district plan made pursuant to any provision of this article, a senator whose term will not expire within two years of the time the plan becomes effective shall represent, for the remainder of the term for which the senator was elected, the senate district that contains the largest portion of the population of the district from which the senator was elected, and the district shall be given the number of the district from which the senator was elected. If more than one senator whose term will not so expire would represent the same district by following the provisions of this section, the plan shall designate which senator shall represent the district and shall designate which district the other senator or senators shall represent for the balance of their term or terms.
(B) The final general assembly district plan to be used for elections conducted in the year 2032 shall designate all of the following, in accordance with division (A) of this section and with division (C)(2) of Section 2 of Article II of this constitution:
(1) For each of the seventeen current senators whose terms expire on December 31, 2034, the districts those senators shall represent for the remainder of their terms;
(2) The thirty-four senate districts from which senators shall be elected for terms beginning on January 1, 2033;
(3) Regarding those thirty-four senate districts, in which twenty-six of those districts shall senators be elected to terms of four years beginning on January 1, 2033, and in which eight of those districts shall senators be elected to terms of two years beginning on January 1, 2033.
EFFECTIVE DATE
If adopted by a majority of the electors voting on this proposal, Section 2 of Article II and Sections 1, 3, 4, and 5 of Article XI amended by this proposal shall take effect immediately and the existing version of Section 2 of Article II and the existing versions of Sections 1, 3, 4, and 5 of Article XI of the Constitution of the State of Ohio shall be repealed effective immediately.