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As Introduced
136th
General Assembly
Regular
Session
S. J. R. No. 1
2025-2026
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 3, 2026, 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.