COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Redistricting Commission on Wednesday approved new state House and Senate districts  for the next four years amid staunch opposition from state Democratic lawmakers, including the two Democratic members of the seven-member largely Republican commission.

In turn, opposing groups such as the  Equal Districts Coalition, a unified group of some 30 Ohio advocacy organizations and unions and other advocacy groups like the NAACP who are engaged in the 2021 redistricting process, blasted the new maps and Republican members of the redistricting commission in a scathing  press release issued on Wednesday.

"Ohioans voted in massive numbers for a transparent redistricting process and fair maps. Republicans delayed the process, held hearings in the middle of the workday, and drew unconstitutional maps in secret. Their disrespect for Ohioans is disgusting," said Desiree Tims, president and CEO of Innovation Ohio, a member group of the Equal Districts Coalition. "Thank goodness [House Minority] Leader Sykes and [state] Sen. Sykes stood firm and refused to vote for this sham. This fight is not over."

The state districts maps were approved by the commission 5-2 with House Minority Leader Emelia Sykes of Akron and her father, state Sen Vernon Sykes, also of Akron, refusing to support the measure. Both of them are Black.

The five Republican members of the commission, including Ohio Gov Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Frank LaRose, eagerly voted for the new maps and subsequently issued a press release praising the process. The issue moved to the seven member commission after state lawmakers as a whole and along party lines could not agree the redistricting maps. The maps are for four years because Democrats and Republicans could not agree on 10-year maps.

An amendment to the state constitution approved by voters in 2015 changed the way the process for drawing congressional and state legislative maps occurs, adopting the aforementioned process  in conjunction with population dynamics relative to the every-10-years U.S. Census report. And since 2020 was the 10-year mark for the most recent census this year is the first time the new process has been put to a test.

But Democrats say the process is still unfair and remains unconstitutional because the Republicans have the edge, and they are using that edge, say Democrats, to draw lines to help Republican state lawmakers win public office, and stay in office,

"Despite the resounding message Ohioans sent about the need for fair maps, the Republican commissioners have sent back one of their own -- they just don't care," said Katy Shanahan, Ohio state director for All On The Line. "They don't care about fairness, they don't care about public input, they don't care about our reforms or following the law, and they ultimately don't care about our democracy."

Democrats also say that the new maps, which the Republican commissioners presented eight days past the constitutional deadline, are far less compact and representational than maps proposed on time by the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus, the citizen-led Ohio Citizens' Redistricting Commission (OCRC) and several individual Ohio residents.

A lawsuit over the controversial maps is expected to be filed in due time, sources said.

Clevelandurbannews.com and-Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com.