If you’re confused by what will end up being two primaries in Ohio, you’re not alone.
Early voting begins on Tuesday, April 5 for the May 3 primary. But you will not see the Ohio House and Ohio Senate races on the ballots. Nor any of the state central committee races – races that determine who controls each political party.
Voters will likely have another primary in August to decide those races once the courts and General Assembly can come to an agreement on the legislative district boundaries.
That doesn’t affect the races for Congress this election.
You will be able to vote in the primaries for the U.S. House and Senate, governor, county races and all other races.
Ohio has become accustomed to weird primaries in recent years. The pandemic arrived at the same time as Ohio’s March 17, 2020 primary, forcing Gov. Mike DeWine to postpone it at the last minute until April 28
While this doesn’t rise to pandemic levels of confusion, it’s still not been easy for elections officials.
They aren’t sure what to expect as far as turnout. In Hamilton County, elections officials haven’t predicted turnout yet. In Clermont County, maybe 25-30% of voters will turn out, said Stephanie Hemmer-Haight, board of elections director.
“With all the confusion, we’re not sure what people are gonna think,” Hemmer-Haight said.
The chaos has voting rights groups concerned.
“No one has been talking about the fact there’s a primary coming,” Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “Everyone has been waiting to see if we had one primary pushed back. This means voter registration rates and poll workers are down. That’s concerning.”
Elections officials in the Cincinnati region are scrambling to find poll workers. Hamilton County needs to find 500 poll workers to have the 2,200 needed for May 3. That’s a high number as early voting begins, said Sherry Poland, director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections. Normally by this time they need to find 250 or fewer, she said.
“We received feedback from poll workers,” said Sherry Poland, director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections. “They were hesitant to confirm because of hearing the news stories surrounding the primary. There will be a primary.”
Poland and Hemmer-Haight said they are awaiting guidance from the Ohio Secretary of State on what, if any, notification or advisory they’ll have at the polling locations informing voters of about the absence of state legislative races.
Congressional races still a go
Like the state legislative districts, legal questions swirl around the boundaries of the congressional districts.
Unlike the state districts, the primaries for Congress in Ohio won’t get pushed back.
The boundaries passed in the most recent map by lawmakers will remain in effect for at least this election.
Hamilton County will be split between the 8th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, and 1st Congressional District, represented by Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Westwood.
The new maps put the western part of Hamilton County in Davidson’s district. That district includes all of Butler County and extends up to Davidson’s home of Troy in Miami County more than 70 miles north of Cincinnati.
Cincinnati and the eastern half of Hamilton County are under Chabot’s district, which still includes Warren County.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup will no longer represent Hamilton County’s east side. Clermont County will serve as the 2nd Congressional District’s western edge.
Former Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich has challenged Davidson in the Republican Primary.
Indian Hill Republican Jenn Giroux has filed to run against Chabot in the primary. Giroux, owner of the Catholic Shop in Madeira and outspoken opponent of abortion, told The Enquirer in March she wasn’t decided whether she would actually run, waiting to see the boundaries of the district.
She did not return a message seeking comment on Friday.
Democrat Greg Landsman, the…
Read More: Senate, Congress, county races on the ballot