While the House and Senate maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission last week are still awaiting a review by the state supreme court, Ohio’s elections officials are being told to prepare for more candidates for the May 3 primary.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose said last week without legislative and Congressional maps, it may be too late to hold a full primary can be held on May 3.
He certified the candidates for US Senate, governor and other statewide offices earlier this month.
These are only statewide offices. Secretary of State @FrankLaRose wrote to Senate Pres @matthuffman1 that b/c the Ohio Redistricting Commission they’re both on hasn’t approved legislative maps, boards “cannot begin petition validation and candidates certification on those races” https://t.co/BrMn539yOf
— Karen Kasler (@karenkasler) February 22, 2022
Now he’s told the 88 county boards of elections to plan to add the state House and Senate and state party central committee candidates to the primary ballot – though the maps he and the other Republicans on the redistricting commission approved haven’t been okayed by the Ohio Supreme Court.
There's also a tool that's been added to the Secretary of State's website that shows the Ohio map by House and Senate district, based on the maps passed last week. A spokesman said those maps are considered constitutional unless they are declared otherwise.
And LaRose's directive also said those who want to run for the US House can file in the most populous county of one of the 15 districts established in the Congressional map bill signed in November, which also set the filing deadline for Friday – though that map was thrown out by the supreme court last month and no new Congressional map has been passed yet.
