by: Sarah Hudacek, AOF Policy Assistant
On August 2nd, 2022, a rare special election will be held in Ohio in which almost every voter in the state will have a race on their ballot. This year, the special election will serve as the primary election for all Ohio General Assembly candidates, just 13 weeks before the November general election, because of continual delays in the redistricting process.
How did we get here?
Typically, once a decennial census is completed at the beginning of each new decade, data is delivered to states to begin re-drawing their districts for state House, Senate, and congressional officials. Over the last nine months, the Ohio Redistricting Commission has passed various versions of district maps, each of which was struck down as unconstitutional in the Ohio Supreme Court. As the Commission continuously fell short of constitutional standards for new maps, the primary elections for Ohio General Assembly races were continuously pushed back.
Ohio boards of elections officials have since faced delays in mailing absentee ballot forms to oversees and military voters and programming elections software for election day. Voters faced confusion over the voter registration deadline and what races were on their ballot, and candidates were forced to file paperwork to run in districts that were constantly in flux.
The August 2nd primary election was scheduled once it was determined any further delays would threaten the November general election, which will also determine Ohio’s next Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Attorney General, and Treasurer.
Who’s on the ballot?
The August 2nd primary election is the first step in deciding which officials will form the 135th Ohio General Assembly (GA), which will be in session from 2023-2024. This group of 132 legislators will create and pass the state operating budget for Fiscal Years 2024-2025, the largest fiscal and policy legislation of each GA.
The GA also tackles policy issues that impact almost every aspect of the lives of Ohioans. Major policy issues the current GA touched on over the last two years included education vouchers for students to use state funds to attend non-public schools, teaching diverse and equitable topics in public education, access to public benefits, child care access and funding, allocating federal COVID relief funds, responding to COVID-19, redistricting, broadband access, access to healthcare for all Ohioans regardless of gender, and more. The outcome of this year’s elections will impact state policy for the next two years.
This year’s general assembly primary is also unique in that 51 of the incumbents on the ballot have been drawn into a new district, meaning many statehouse districts will have new representation, because the legislator that constituency elected is on the ballot under a new district.
What you need to know to vote this summer
Early voting for the August 2nd primary is underway now. Check early voting hours and find your early voting location here.
Absentee ballots can be requested by printing and completing the state request form, available here. Requests for absentee ballots must be received by July 30th at noon. Absentee ballots returned by US mail must be postmarked by August 1st and received by boards of elections by August 12th. If returning an absentee ballot in-person, it must be turned in to your board of election by the close of polls on August 2nd. If you requested an absentee ballot but choose to vote in-person on election day, you will have to vote via provisional ballot, which is used to record your vote until the board of elections can confirm your absentee ballot was not also submitted.
Your polling location may be different for the August 2nd special election. Confirm your polling site here.
Prepare to vote by viewing your sample ballot here. View the nonpartisan League of Women Voter’s Voter Guide, which includes responses to a candidate questionnaire, here.
The deadline to register to vote in the August 2nd election has passed. If you’re not sure if you’re registered to vote, confirm your registration status by searching here.
Learn what identification requirements might be required for voter identification here.
Get out and vote!