Today marks 61 days until the 2020 General Election, and while all eyes are on the presidential election, Ohioans will also be asked to vote for candidates to the Ohio legislature, two justices of the Ohio Supreme Court, and a number of local issues and ordinances.
All 99 seats in the Ohio House of Representatives will be on the ballot November 3. 18 of those races feature open seats (12 members are term-limited in 2020 while 6 other seats are open because the current office-holders are seeking other elected offices in 2020 or have opted to retire). This will not be nearly as large of a freshman class as was elected in 2018, when 33 freshman lawmakers were elected. This number does not take into consideration any races that may be contested in 2020. After the scandal at the Ohio Statehouse earlier this summer that saw former Speaker of the House Larry Householder arrested and indicted by a federal grand jury in a bribery scheme, House Democrats are making a play at targeting a number of what they consider to be “vulnerable” House Republicans. What the impact of the scandal, as well as voter attitudes at the “top of the ticket” and if that translates into support for other candidates “down-ticket” remains to be seen. But it was indeed an unexpected development that has left both political parties scrambling with less than 90 days before the election.
Over in the Ohio Senate, just 16 of the 33 seats will be on the ballot this November. Just 5 members in the Senate will be term-limited in 2020, including Senate President Larry Obhof, who will leave the legislature after nearly a decade of service. Four current members of the Ohio House are running for those open seats, including Representative George Lang (R- West Chester) in the 4th District, Niraj Antani (R-Dayton) in the 6th District, Representative Mark Romanchuk (R-Mansfield) in the 22nd District, and Representative William Reineke (R-Tiffin) in the 26th District. None of the term-limited members in the Senate are seeking election to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2020 – an unusual occurrence in the era of statehouse term limits.
Fewer seats in the Ohio Senate up for re-election this year also translates into less drama in election contests. However, there are several races where incumbents are facing strong challengers in 2020, including Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) in the 24th District, Senator Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard) in the 16th District, and Senator Sean O’Brien (D-Bazetta Twp.) The competitiveness of these races is not impacted by the scandal involving former Speaker Householder like in the Ohio House, but instead the impact of voter patterns in the presidential contest.
Earlier this year, GOPC released our 2020 Policy Platform, Building a Greater Ohio, outlining a set of recommendations for Ohio’s leaders and policymakers to continue to work towards the vision of a revitalized Ohio. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing an update to that policy agenda which reflects on the recent impacts Ohio has experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will also be sharing a set of questions for candidates up and down to ballot to ensure that Ohio’s future political and policy leaders are working towards the mission of improve the communities of Ohio through smart growth strategies.
As we move closer to the 2020 Election, there are a number of key dates to keep in mind:
September 1: The Ohio Secretary of State mails absentee ballot applications to all registered Ohio voters. There is expected to be a surge in absentee voting in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the sooner you request an absentee ballot, the better.
September 18: Military & Overseas Absentee Voting Begins
October 5: Deadline to Register to Vote. All county Boards of Elections will be open until 9:00pm to process registration applications.
October 6: Absentee Voting by Mail and Early In-Person Voting begins. All county Boards of Election will be open M-F from 8:00am – 5:00pm for In-Person Early Voting.
October 19: Boards of Election will be open one-hour later for In-Person Early Voting, from 8:00am – 6:00pm.
October 24: Weekend In-Person Early Voting begins. Boards of Election will be open from 8:00am – 4:00pm on Saturdays and from 1:00pm-5:00pm on Sundays.
October 26: Boards of Election will be open one-hour later for In-Person Early Voting, from 8:00am – 7:00pm.
October 31: The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is 12:00pm. Requests received after noon will not be processed. Because of the anticipated surge in absentee voting this year, voters are strongly encouraged to request absentee ballots before October 31 to ensure that the ballot can be mailed out and returned.
November 2: Boards of Election will be open from 8:00am-2:00pm for the final day of in-Person Early Voting. Absentee ballots returned in the mail must be postmarked by November 2 in order for them to be counted.
November 3: Election Day. Polls will be open from 6:30am-7:30pm. If you were not able to mail your absentee ballot, you can also drop-off your absentee ballot at the Board of Elections Office until 7:30pm.
Finally, because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, local boards of election will be in need of volunteers to work at polling locations across Ohio. Attorney’s who volunteer can receive CLE credit if they serve as a pollworker.
If you are interested in volunteering to serve as a poll worker in 2020, please visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office at https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/poll-workers/