COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has sent a letter to state lawmakers acknowledging that there will be a need for a second primary, possibly in August.
This is due to the controversy over new legislative redistricting maps currently playing out in the Ohio Supreme Court.
The deadline to register to vote is Monday. Early voting starts on Tuesday. Contests for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, and local offices are on the ballot for the May 3 primary.
Contests for Ohio House and Senate seats will not appear on the ballots because the boundaries for statehouse districts have not been settled.
Secretary of State LaRose is on the redistricting commission, but he's also in charge of making sure the state's elections are fair.
"Every Ohioan who's a registered voter will have a chance to make their voice heard. That means a month of early voting, a month of absentee voting, and in-person election day voting. But we also won't compromise when it comes to integrity. Ohioans need to know when they watch the results come across the bottom of their screen on election night that they participated in an honest election," said LaRose.
In the letter to lawmakers, LaRose said the state will likely conduct a "separate primary election for house and senate races" sometime after May 3, likely in early August, but that will require action from the General Assembly.