Ahead of the June 11 special election to fill Bill Johnson's seat in congress, a group of Youngstown residents are asking a judge to hold off on recognizing the results. 

Reverend Kenneth Simon and two other residents believe the current district lines that determine who votes for the seat are unfair. 

“We can't get anyone elected, the African American vote is so diluted, the democratic vote is so diluted,” Simon said.

The district lines were redrawn in 2022 for the 6th congressional district to include Mahoning County. 

The group believes the decision gives the GOP an unfair advantage by lumping Mahoning in with predominantly white counties and splitting predominantly black cities like Warren and Youngstown apart. 

“They’ve put us down there, with Carroll County that has nothing in common with the population here in Mahoning County in the Youngstown area,” Simon said. 

Republican Michael Rulli and Democrat Michael Kripchak will battle to fill the seat.

A statement from Kripchick says in part: “...it's clear that the current election schedule was strategically designed to favor the Republican party. This is Ohio, where Republicans have historically manipulated the system to maintain their advantage whenever fair competition poses a threat to their power.”

Senator Rulli did not respond to our request for comment. 

The current 6th congressional district includes Mahoning, Stark, Columbiana, Carroll, Tuscarawas , Jefferson, Harrison, Belmont, Monroe, Noble, and Washington counties. The district lines will stay in place until 2026, but the group that filed the lawsuit asking for a judge to hold off on certification wants a non-partisan citizen group to re-draw them ahead of the election in June.