Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Secretary of State (SOS) Frank LaRose sent this directive to the 88 county boards of elections offices yesterday.
It reads in part, “In the wake of the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision last week invalidating the February 24, 2022 General Assembly district plan, it is not possible to include the primary contests for the Ohio House, Ohio Senate, and State Central Committee on the May 3, 2022 Primary Election ballot.…Therefore, offices and candidates for Ohio House, Ohio Senate, or State Central Committee will not appear on the ballot….” (emphasis added)
The re-scheduled date for the Ohio Senate, Ohio House and State Central Committee primary elections has not yet been announced.
There will be a primary election in Ohio on May 3rd, plus early voting starting April 5, for several other offices and issues. Governor, secretary of state and U.S. Senate primary elections are a few of the races which have not been postponed.
Meetings of the Ohio Redistricting Commission as well as two recently-appointed mediators are scheduled over the next several days in order to meet deadlines imposed by the Ohio Supreme Court. The district lines proposed for the Ohio Senate and Ohio House have been hotly contested via lawsuits against the Commission and have not been satisfactory to a majority of the court.
For an added wrinkle “State law says only the state legislature can move the election date.” as reported here. The Ohio SOS does not have the authority to change the primary election date.
As more information becomes available, it will be shared here on the Hill for Ohio Senate website.
From the Lorain County Board of Elections website:
It will be difficult for voters to know when the election is and what will be on their ballot with the differing authorities (SOS, Ohio Legislature) sending conflicting messages.
(Updated 3/25/22)