The Ohio Redistricting Commission is holding hearings on legislative maps in three different parts of the state, but not in northwest Ohio.
State lawmakers in the Toledo area said they plan to make sure voters there are heard by holding an unofficial redistricting town hall.
State Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) said she and other members of the General Assembly in and around Lucas County are holding an unofficial redistricting town hall with their constituents.
“I was not going to allow for this process to be held without representation from folks up here," Hicks-Hudson said.
Republican members of the General Assembly who live in that area were also invited to be part of the event. Hicks-Hudson said the feedback from citizens in Lucas County will be presented to the Ohio Redistricting Commission during the hearing scheduled to happen at the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday.
This unofficial meeting Monday night coincides with an extra meeting of the official Ohio Redistricting Committee that was scheduled late Friday. The newly added official meeting is scheduled to happen Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Punderson State Park in northeast Ohio.
The commission held a separate meeting there earlier Monday. The new meeting was added because members of the commission wanted to give Ohioans who work an opportunity to testify outside of business hours.
The commission also held a hearing during the day on Friday at Deer Creek State Park in south central Ohio.
The commission is trying to finalize a map by the end of this week in order to meet the schedule set by Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
