Voters in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio are casting in-person or absentee ballots for local and statewide issues and offices. But what happens if there's no one to vote for? That's the question WVXU News Director Maryanne Zeleznik posed.
"We see sometimes on the ballot that nobody is running for an office. My question is what happens if a seat needs to be filled and no-one wants to run?"
It happens. In fact, in Butler County this November, there will be vacancies on the trustees board for New Miami, and the Seven Mile School Board. In Hamilton County, no one is running to be the next treasurer of Addyston, or Elmwood Place's clerk.
Hamilton County's Board of Elections director says if there isn't a registered candidate, the contest still appears on the ballot. Sherry Poland says there's a note that goes with it.
"The phrase 'no valid petition was filed' appears in place of the candidate's name," she explains.
Poland says if there are registered write-in candidates, there's a blank line printed.
"In order for the Board of Elections to count write-in votes, the person who is interested in being a write-in candidate must declare that with the board prior to when voting begins."
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And without a write-in candidate, what happens to the position? Poland says it depends on what the political subdivision is.
"If there is a vacancy in a village clerk, or a village treasurer, and that village has a statutory form of government, they do not have their own charter, that vacancy is filled by the mayor for the remainder of the term."
A school board would vote to appoint someone to the empty seat. At the county level, the central committee of the political party of the previous office holder gets to pick the replacement. Poland says cities with a charter will follow the rules of that charter.
Ohio law gives the power to the governor to appoint people for federal, state-level, and judicial positions. But that doesn't happen often.
The same goes for Kentucky, where Secretary of State Michael Adams says local offices sometimes aren't contested. By anybody.
"It's routinely a problem the further down the ballot you go, is that cities are at risk of being dissolved administratively if they can't find people to run for these offices," he says. "Usually, it's non-partisan, but that is actually kind of the issue. Parties are pretty good at recruiting candidates, but when you have non-partisan offices there's not the same level of recruitment."
Adams says it's not uncommon in Kentucky school board races. For an unfilled seat, there'll have to be a special election later.
He says in other races, Kentucky follows the same policy as Ohio: if someone has registered as a write-in candidate, there's a blank line on the ballot. If no one does, there isn't.
"Under our constitution and statutes, there would be an appointing authority who would fill the vacancy by appointment for a short term until the next election would be held," Adams says. "If it's a constitutional office, the governor would make the appointment. If it's a statutory office, like a city office, a local office, that would be appointed by usually the mayor or the county judge-executive."
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Indiana has a different method. Wayne County Clerk Debra Berry says without any candidates, the person already holding the position stays there.
"And then once the term starts again, if they do not want to hold that seat, they have to submit a letter of resignation," Berry says. "When that resignation is received, we let the party chairman of either of the major parties know that it has to be appointed by a caucus."
Berry says it happens, especially in smaller communities. But, she says Wayne County is being proactive. Her office has been reaching out to potential candidates, with classes explaining the election process.
"This year, we partnered with a private group to hold a training session, or an information session. Because they come and register it does not mean they have to run as a candidate in that year. They might decide, 'I don't know if I want to do that, but over the next four years, I'd like to learn all there is to learn about it.' "
Berry says the class led to two people filing for office. She says she wants to have another session early next year.
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