It’s not quite as horrible as the headline makes it sound.
First of all, it doesn’t affect congressional redistricting:
“The plan would not change Ohio’s congressional redistricting process, in which a panel of lawmakers draws maps that are approved by a vote of both chambers.”
“Lawmakers dropped plans to change the congressional map-drawing process after concerns were raised the changes might conflict with a U.S. Supreme Court decision expected next year regarding Arizona’s redistricting process.”
And as for state legislative districts, the new process isn’t *that* much different from the old one:
“Currently, a five-member panel composed of three statewide officeholders and two state lawmakers draws maps for the state House and Senate districts every 10 years. The panel has drawn districts to be safer for party incumbents, which critics say cheats voters from deciding their representatives.
The plan passed by the Senate would establish a seven-member commission composed of the governor, secretary of state, state auditor and two members from each chamber and from each of the majority and minority parties. The commission would draw district lines according to several criteria aimed at keeping counties and communities in the same district.”
And while the new system ostensibly gives each party a “veto” when both the state senator and state representative from the party that are in the commission vote against a particular redistricting plan, it’s a rather toothless veto:
“A map would need approval from at least two members of the minority party to pass. Any map that does not receive two minority member votes would only be good for four years instead of 10.
In the Senate-approved version, the second time the panel doesn’t get minority approval, the map would be in place for six years. During that time, the panel’s makeup could change.”
So it’s not a capitulation by Republicans as the headline would have us believe, and I’m guessing that one of the reasons why al but one senate Republican voted for it is because it won’t change things that much but will take pressure aay from making more drastic changes (sure, the League of Women Voters will continue to b1tch, but the odds of another change being made would be quite low).