COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued a directive Wednesday night authorizing the state’s 88 county boards of elections to move forward with preparing for a May 3 primary election, despite there being no districts in place for Statehouse seats.
The order directs the county boards to remove candidates for the General Assembly and state committees — positions dictated by state districts — from the May 3 primary ballot.
“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,” the directive states.
A statement from LaRose’s office said it is now up to the General Assembly to either move the primary election to a later date or hold two separate primaries. In the case of two separate primaries, statewide (i.e. governor), congressional (i.e. U.S. House of Representatives and Senate), and county and municipal races and ballot questions would be on the May 3 ballot, while races for Ohio Senate and House of Representatives would be on the ballot at the later date.
According to the statement, boards of elections typically hold special elections in August.
LaRose has estimated a second primary would cost between $20 million and $25 million. When Ohio held a second primary in 2011, it cost taxpayers $15 million.
There is one more wrench that could throw the May 3 primary election into turmoil. A U.S. House of Representatives district map passed by the Ohio Redistricting Commission several weeks ago is currently being challenged in the Ohio Supreme Court. If that court rules the map does not meet Ohio’s constitutional requirements, any votes cast for those races in the May 3 election will not be counted and the races would be moved to the later election.
The Ohio Redistricting Committee has until Monday to present a new plan for General Assembly districts to LaRose, with that plan heading to the Ohio Supreme Court Tuesday.
Read LaRose’s directive below.