After the Ohio Supreme Court declared the recently-created district maps for the General Assembly to be unconstitutional, Secretary of State LaRose concluded that candidates for the Ohio House, the Ohio Senate, and the State Central Committee could not appear on the ballot for the May 3 primary election. This means that sometime after the May 3 primary elections, Ohio will need to have a second primary election, which is estimated to cost between $10 and $25 million taxpayer dollars.
The League of Women Voters of Bowling Green believes a better option would be to delay the date of the primary election until the General Assembly candidates can be voted upon at the same time as candidates in all the other primary races.
The benefits of moving the primary are numerous and consequential: It will be less confusing and more convenient for citizens to go to the polls once instead of twice; there will be less stress on our election officials, who often have difficulty finding people to work at the polls; and taxpayers will save between 10 and 25 million dollars.
We join the League of Women Voters of Ohio in encouraging voters to call their state senator and state house representative and urge them to delay the primary election to allow for the inclusion of the General Assembly races.
We also encourage everyone to make sure you are registered to vote. You can check your registration status here: https://voterlookup.ohiosos.gov/voterlookup.aspx. If you are not registered, you can register at this link: https://olvr.ohiosos.gov/. You must register by April 4 in order to be eligible to vote in the May 3 primary election.
Please vote—democracy is not a spectator sport.
Debbie Dalke, Chair, Voters’ Rights Committee
Janet B. Parks, President
League of Women Voters of Bowling Green
