Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose is weighing-in on the legal challenge to the state's new Congressional district map, with the filing deadline for next year's primary election looming.
"Time is of the essence," was in the first line of a brief filed by Attorney General Dave Yost (R-Ohio) on behalf of LaRose in the Ohio Supreme Court.
LaRose said the court schedule proposed by plaintiffs in the case against Ohio's new Congressional district map does not give enough time for candidates to file their petition or for boards of elections to prepare ballots.
The plaintiffs suggested a court schedule that ends with oral arguments on February 8, 2022. LaRose would rather have the last step before oral arguments happen by December 23, 2021.
The same bill that created the new map, SB258, also moved the filing deadline for U.S. House of Representative candidates to March 4, 2022. The filing deadline was originally February 2, 2022, that's 90 days prior to the May 3, 2022 primary. However, the bill goes into effect on February 19, 2022.
A national Democratic group claims the Congressional map that creates 12 out of 15 districts that heavily favor or lean in favor of Republicans is unconstitutional. Only two districts in Ohio strongly favor Democratic candidates.
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