COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued a directive Wednesday night, telling all boards of elections in the state to remove any candidates for statehouse races from the May 3 primary ballot.
The letter comes as a state panel continues to work on constitutional maps for the state to use in the upcoming elections.
"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," LaRose wrote.
LaRose noted that the General Assembly also has not changed the date of the election.
"Therefore, offices and candidates for Ohio House, Ohio Senate, or State Central Committee will not appear on the ballot. This is the only currently lawful and reasonable option to continue to move forward toward the May 3, 2022 Primary Election at this unprecedented point in time," LaRose continued.
LaRose said the boards of election must reprogram their databases and prepare ballots by April 5.
The Ohio Redistricting Commission is working on the fourth round of maps, after having the first three rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court.
The panel has a deadline of March 28 to submit the new maps and has scheduled meetings every day until then to try and reach a conclusion.
LaRose, who is both the state's elections chief and a member of the redistricting commission, paused certain preparations for the primary last week after the latest maps were invalidated.
A Democratic group that's challenging Ohio's congressional map also has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to delay the date of the primary.
Below are three questions and answers as provided by the Ohio Secretary of State's Office:
If the General Assembly races aren’t on the May 3 ballot, when will those primary contests be held?
The Ohio General Assembly has the authority to make that decision, and they can go one of two directions. First, they could move the entire primary election to a later date. Second, they could allow the statewide, congressional, and local races to continue on the May 3 ballot and reschedule the General Assembly primary contests for a later date, possibly in August when boards of elections typically hold special elections.
Are there other races impacted by the Court’s ruling on General Assembly districts?
Yes. The major state political parties, Democrat and Republican, elect their central committee members using state senate districts, so those contests would be moved along with the General Assembly races.
Is it possible other races might not be included on the May 3 primary ballot?
Several weeks ago, the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved a new congressional district map. If the Ohio Supreme Court majority decides to invalidate those districts, the congressional primary contests would also need to be held at a later date. While it might be too late for boards of elections to remove those contests from the May 3 ballot, votes would not be counted if the districts are invalidated, barring any intervention by a federal court.