Ohio district lines and primary date changed again

Ohio district lines and primary date changed again

COLUMBUS

State lawmakers have passed revamped congressional district lines and reset — again — Ohio’s primary election schedule, with a single Super Tuesday date on March 6, rather than separate elections in March and June.

The move came late Wednesday on what will likely be the last voting session of the year for the House and Senate. The sponsor called it an early Christmas present to the state of Ohio.

The legislation passed with more than enough Democratic support for an emergency clause to ensure the changes take effect immediately.

And, the repeal of earlier-adopted congressional districts, passed as part of House Bill 319 in September, also effectively quashed a Democratic effort to place the earlier GOP-drawn lines before voters in November 2012.

“This may not be the map that I like, but it’s a lot better than [House Bill] 319...,” said Rep. Matt Huffman, a Republican from Lima and primary sponsor of the new legislation, House Bill 369. “I’m pretty sure that if we all sat down and drew the map the way we thought best, we would have 99 maps... We’d be here until New Year’s Eve trying to figure it out.”

The bill passed the Ohio House by a vote of 77-17 and the Senate, 27-6, and heads to Gov. John Kasich for his signature.