Primary elections in Ohio
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Primary elections allow voters to determine which candidates compete in the general election and can be nonpartisan or partisan. In partisan primaries, voters choose the candidates they prefer for a political party to nominate in the general election.
The laws governing primary elections vary from state to state and can even vary within states by locality and political party. For example, only registered party members are allowed to vote in closed primaries, while registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote in semi-closed primaries, and all voters are allowed to vote in open primaries.
Primary elections also vary by the way their outcomes are determined. Majority systems require the winning candidate to receive at least fifty percent of the votes cast, while plurality systems do not. In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation.
See the sections below for general information on the use of primary elections in the United States and specific information on the types of primaries held in Ohio:
- BackgroundThe different types of primary election participation models used in the United States, and details about methods to determine the outcomes of primaries.
- Primary election systems used in OhioPrimary election systems used in Ohio, including primaries for congressional and state-level offices.
- State specific informationState legislation and ballot measures relevant to primary election policy in Ohio.
Background
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In general, there are two broad criteria by which primary elections can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction:
1. Rules of participation: In jurisdictions that conduct partisan primaries, who can vote in a party's primary? Is participation limited to registered party members, or can other eligible voters (such as unaffiliated voters or voters belonging to other parties) participate? In general, there are three basic types of primary election participation models: open primaries, closed primaries, and semi-closed primaries. Several states also use a top-two primary or a variant of that system.
- In closed primaries only registered party members are allowed to vote.
- In semi-closed primaries, registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote.
- In open primaries, all voters are allowed to vote.
- In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation and voters may vote for candidates from more than one party.
2. Vote requirements: What share of the total votes cast does a candidate have to receive in order to advance to the general election? Methods for determining primary election outcomes include plurality voting systems ans majority voting systems. Two states, California and Washington, use top-two primaries, while one, Alaska, uses a top-four primary. Both are plurality systems. Maine use ranked-choice voting for some primaries, which is a majority system.
Primary election systems used in Ohio
Congressional and state-level elections
Ohio law provides for closed primaries, meaning a voter to be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. However a voter of any affiliation can choose the ballot they would like to vote on the day of the primary and their choice may be regarded as registration with that party.
Ohio law say: "The right of a person to vote at a primary election may be challenged upon the following grounds: ... That the person is not affiliated with or is not a member of the political party whose ballot the person desires to vote. Such party affiliation shall be determined by examining the elector's voting record for the current year and the immediately preceding two calendar years as shown on the voter's registration card..."[1] State law also says: "For purposes of signing or circulating a petition of candidacy for party nomination or election, an elector is considered to be a member of a political party if the elector voted in that party's primary election within the preceding two calendar years, or if the elector did not vote in any other party's primary election within the preceding two calendar years."[2]
In 23 states, at least one political party utilizes closed primaries to nominate partisan candidates for congressional and state-level (e.g. state legislators, governors, etc.) offices. In 19 states, at least one party utilizes open primaries to nominate partisan candidates for these offices. In 12 states, at least one party utilizes semi-closed primaries. In 5 states, top-two primaries or a variation are used.[3] These state primaries are a separate entity and are not included in the totals for open, closed, or semi-closed primaries.
The table below lists Ohio offices for which parties must conduct primary elections to nominate their candidates.
| Office | Number of seats |
|---|---|
| Governor of Ohio | 1 |
| Lieutenant Governor of Ohio | 1 |
| Ohio State Auditor | 1 |
| Attorney General of Ohio | 1 |
| Ohio Secretary of State | 1 |
| Ohio Treasurer | 1 |
| State legislators | 132 |
| Ohio state judges | 76 |
| United States Senators | 2 |
| United States Representatives | 16 |
| Local officials | Varies by municipality |
Noteworthy events
Libertarian Party of Ohio v. Jon Husted (2017)
On November 6, 2013, the Ohio General Assembly approved SB 193, which stipulated that newly qualifying political parties cannot conduct primary elections. The Libertarian Party of Ohio filed suit, arguing that this provision of the law violated the Ohio Constitution, which indicates that "all nominations for elective state, district, county, and municipal offices shall be made at direct primary elections or by petition as provided by law." On September 21, 2017, the Court of Appeals of Ohio for the Tenth Appellate District issued a ruling in the case, Libertarian Party of Ohio v. Jon Husted, rejecting the Libertarian Party's claims. The court wrote the following in its decision:[4][5]
| “ | S.B. No. 193 does not operate to restrict party affiliation to only major party voters. Instead, upon meeting the 3 percent vote requirement in the immediately preceding election necessary to retain its status as a minor party, a minor party may participate in the primary election process and thereby have affiliated voters. Thus, it is true that Ohio's election law scheme places some burden on minor political parties by requiring them to establish a modicum of political support before they can participate in the primary process and thereby have voters declare affiliation with their party. However, we find that LPO has not demonstrated how this amounts to a severe burden on its rights.[6] | ” |
| —Court of Appeals of Ohio for the Tenth Appellate District | ||
State legislation and ballot measures
The table below lists bills related to primary elections that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Ohio. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
Primary systems ballot measures
Since 2017, Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to primary elections in Ohio.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ohio Laws and Administrative Codes, "Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3513.19," accessed September 5, 2025
- ↑ Ohio Laws and Administrative Codes, "Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3513.05," accessed September 5, 2025
- ↑ Top-two primary systems, such as those utilized in California, Nebraska, and Washington, and variations of those systems, such as the top-four system used in Alaska and the majority-vote system used in Louisiana, are sometimes classified as open primary systems because voter participation in such primaries is not tied to partisan affiliation. For the purposes of this article, these primaries are considered to be a separate entity. For more information about top-two primaries and their variations, see this article.
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Ohio State Appeals Court Says Ohio Constitution Does Not Require that All Parties Nominate by Primary," September 21, 2017
- ↑ Court of Appeals of Ohio, Tenth Appellate District, "Libertarian Party of Ohio v. Jon Husted: Decision," September 21, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
