As Introduced
135th General Assembly
Regular Session S. J. R. No. 6
2023-2024
Senator Blessing
A JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing to amend Section 2 of Article II and Sections 1
1, 3, 4, and 5 of Article XI of the Constitution of 2
the State of Ohio to increase the membership of the 3
General Assembly to 51 senators and 153 4
representatives beginning January 1, 2033. 5
Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of 6
Ohio, three-fifths of the members elected to each house 7
concurring herein, that there shall be submitted to the electors 8
of the state, in the manner prescribed by law at the general 9
election to be held on November 4, 2025, a proposal to amend 10
Section 2 of Article II and Sections 1, 3, 4, and 5 of Article 11
XI of the Constitution of the State of Ohio to read as follows: 12
ARTICLE II 13
Section 2. (A) Beginning January 1, 2033, the general 14
assembly consists of one hundred fifty-three representatives and 15
fifty-one senators. Before that date, the general assembly 16
consists of ninety-nine representatives and thirty-three 17
senators. 18
(B) Representatives shall be elected biennially by the 19
electors of the respective house of representatives districts; 20
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their term of office shall commence on the first day of January 21
next thereafter and continue two years. 22
(C)(1) Senators shall be elected by the electors of the 23
respective senate districts; their terms of office shall 24
commence on the first day of January next after their election. 25
All terms of senators which 26
(2) Seventeen senators' terms shall commence on the first 27
day of January, 1969 2031, and shall be four years, and all . 28
Thirty-four senators' terms which shall commence on the first 29
day of January, 1971 2033. Of those thirty-four senators, 30
twenty-six senators' terms shall be four years and eight 31
senators' terms shall be two years, as designated in the general 32
assembly district plan used for the elections held in 2032. 33
Thereafter, 34
(3) Thereafter, except for the filling of vacancies for 35
unexpired terms, senators shall be elected to and hold office 36
for terms of four years. 37
(D) No person shall hold the office of state senator for a 38
period longer than two successive terms of four years. No person 39
shall hold the office of state representative for a period 40
longer than four successive terms of two years. Terms shall be 41
considered successive unless separated by a period of four or 42
more years. Only terms beginning on or after January 1, 1993 43
shall be considered in determining an individual's eligibility 44
to hold office. A two-year senate term served under division (C) 45
(2) of this section shall not be considered in determining an 46
individual's eligibility to hold office. 47
ARTICLE XI 48
Section 1. (A) The Ohio redistricting commission shall be 49
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responsible for the redistricting of this state for the general 50
assembly. The commission shall consist of the following seven 51
members: 52
(1) The governor; 53
(2) The auditor of state; 54
(3) The secretary of state; 55
(4) One person appointed by the speaker of the house of 56
representatives; 57
(5) One person appointed by the legislative leader of the 58
largest political party in the house of representatives of which 59
the speaker of the house of representatives is not a member; 60
(6) One person appointed by the president of the senate; 61
and 62
(7) One person appointed by the legislative leader of the 63
largest political party in the senate of which the president of 64
the senate is not a member. 65
No appointed member of the commission shall be a current 66
member of congress. 67
The legislative leaders in the senate and the house of 68
representatives of each of the two largest political parties 69
represented in the general assembly, acting jointly by political 70
party, shall appoint a member of the commission to serve as a 71
co-chairperson of the commission. 72
(B)(1) Unless otherwise specified in this article or in 73
Article XIX of this constitution, a simple majority of the 74
commission members shall be required for any action by the 75
commission. 76
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(2)(a) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2)(b) 77
of this section, a majority vote of the members of the 78
commission, including at least one member of the commission who 79
is a member of each of the two largest political parties 80
represented in the general assembly, shall be required to do any 81
of the following: 82
(i) Adopt rules of the commission; 83
(ii) Hire staff for the commission; 84
(iii) Expend funds. 85
(b) If the commission is unable to agree, by the vote 86
required under division (B)(2)(a) of this section, on the manner 87
in which funds should be expended, each co-chairperson of the 88
commission shall have the authority to expend one-half of the 89
funds that have been appropriated to the commission. 90
(3) The affirmative vote of four members of the 91
commission, including at least two members of the commission who 92
represent each of the two largest political parties represented 93
in the general assembly shall be required to adopt any general 94
assembly district plan. For the purposes of this division and of 95
Section 1 of Article XIX of this constitution, a member of the 96
commission shall be considered to represent a political party if 97
the member was appointed to the commission by a member of that 98
political party or if, in the case of the governor, the auditor 99
of state, or the secretary of state, the member is a member of 100
that political party. 101
(C) At the first meeting of the commission, which the 102
governor shall convene only in a year ending in the numeral one, 103
except as provided in Sections 8 and 9 of this article and in 104
Sections 1 and 3 of Article XIX of this constitution, the 105
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commission shall set a schedule for the adoption of procedural 106
rules for the operation of the commission. 107
The commission shall release to the public a proposed 108
general assembly district plan for the boundaries for each of 109
the ninety-nine house of representatives districts and the 110
thirty-three senate districts. The commission shall draft the 111
proposed plan in the manner prescribed in this article. Before 112
adopting, but after introducing, a proposed plan, the commission 113
shall conduct a minimum of three public hearings across the 114
state to present the proposed plan and shall seek public input 115
regarding the proposed plan. All meetings of the commission 116
shall be open to the public. Meetings shall be broadcast by 117
electronic means of transmission using a medium readily 118
accessible by the general public. 119
The commission shall adopt a final general assembly 120
district plan not later than the first day of September of a 121
year ending in the numeral one. After the commission adopts a 122
final plan, the commission shall promptly file the plan with the 123
secretary of state. Upon filing with the secretary of state, the 124
plan shall become effective. 125
Four weeks after the adoption of a general assembly 126
district plan or a congressional district plan, whichever is 127
later, the commission shall be automatically dissolved. 128
(D) The general assembly shall be responsible for making 129
the appropriations it determines necessary in order for the 130
commission to perform its duties under this article and Article 131
XIX of this constitution. 132
Section 3. (A) The whole population of the state, as 133
determined by the federal decennial census or, if such is 134
unavailable, such other basis as the general assembly may 135
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direct, shall be divided by the number "ninety-nine" of 136
representatives in the house of representatives and by the 137
number "thirty-three" of senators in the senate, and the 138
quotients shall be the ratio of representation in the house of 139
representatives and in the senate, respectively, for ten years 140
next succeeding such redistricting. 141
(B) A general assembly district plan shall comply with all 142
of the requirements of division (B) of this section. 143
(1) The population of each house of representatives 144
district shall be substantially equal to the ratio of 145
representation in the house of representatives, and the 146
population of each senate district shall be substantially equal 147
to the ratio of representation in the senate, as provided in 148
division (A) of this section. In no event shall any district 149
contain a population of less than ninety-five per cent nor more 150
than one hundred five per cent of the applicable ratio of 151
representation. 152
(2) Any general assembly district plan adopted by the 153
commission shall comply with all applicable provisions of the 154
constitutions of Ohio and the United States and of federal law. 155
(3) Every general assembly district shall be composed of 156
contiguous territory, and the boundary of each district shall be 157
a single nonintersecting continuous line. 158
(C) House of representatives districts shall be created 159
and numbered in the following order of priority, to the extent 160
that such order is consistent with the foregoing standards: 161
(1) Proceeding in succession from the largest to the 162
smallest, each county containing population greater than one 163
hundred five per cent of the ratio of representation in the 164
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house of representatives shall be divided into as many house of 165
representatives districts as it has whole ratios of 166
representation. Any fraction of the population in excess of a 167
whole ratio shall be a part of only one adjoining house of 168
representatives district. 169
(2) Each county containing population of not less than 170
ninety-five per cent of the ratio of representation in the house 171
of representatives nor more than one hundred five per cent of 172
the ratio shall be designated a representative district. 173
(3) The remaining territory of the state shall be divided 174
into representative districts by combining the areas of 175
counties, municipal corporations, and townships. Where feasible, 176
no county shall be split more than once. 177
(D)(1)(a) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (D)(1) 178
(b) and (c) of this section, a county, municipal corporation, or 179
township is considered to be split if any contiguous portion of 180
its territory is not contained entirely within one district. 181
(b) If a municipal corporation or township has territory 182
in more than one county, the contiguous portion of that 183
municipal corporation or township that lies in each county shall 184
be considered to be a separate municipal corporation or township 185
for the purposes of this section. 186
(c) If a municipal corporation or township that is located 187
in a county that contains a municipal corporation or township 188
that has a population of more than one ratio of representation 189
is split for the purpose of complying with division (E)(1)(a) or 190
(b) of this section, each portion of that municipal corporation 191
or township shall be considered to be a separate municipal 192
corporation or township for the purposes of this section. 193
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(2) Representative districts shall be drawn so as to split 194
the smallest possible number of municipal corporations and 195
townships whose contiguous portions contain a population of more 196
than fifty per cent, but less than one hundred per cent, of one 197
ratio of representation. 198
(3) Where the requirements of divisions (B), (C), and (D) 199
of this section cannot feasibly be attained by forming a 200
representative district from whole municipal corporations and 201
townships, not more than one municipal corporation or township 202
may be split per representative district. 203
(E)(1) If it is not possible for the commission to comply 204
with all of the requirements of divisions (B), (C), and (D) of 205
this section in drawing a particular representative district, 206
the commission shall take the first action listed below that 207
makes it possible for the commission to draw that district: 208
(a) Notwithstanding division (D)(3) of this section, the 209
commission shall create the district by splitting two municipal 210
corporations or townships whose contiguous portions do not 211
contain a population of more than fifty per cent, but less than 212
one hundred per cent, of one ratio of representation. 213
(b) Notwithstanding division (D)(2) of this section, the 214
commission shall create the district by splitting a municipal 215
corporation or township whose contiguous portions contain a 216
population of more than fifty per cent, but less than one 217
hundred per cent, of one ratio of representation. 218
(c) Notwithstanding division (C)(2) of this section, the 219
commission shall cr