A complete May 3 primary ballot may be 'impossible' due to legislative map uncertainty

Ohio’s chief elections official and the state’s top lawyer are telling legislative leaders on the Ohio Redistricting Commission that the May 3 primary likely can’t happen with a complete ballot for all the offices that are up for election.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose wrote to Senate President Matt Huffman that it’s impossible to see a scenario where a full May primary can go forward, because the Redistricting Commission they’re both on has yet to approve legislative and congressional district maps after previous maps were ruled by the Ohio Supreme Court to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered.

LaRose warned the commission last week: “We need finality. We need to decide quickly between approving a map that the court can find acceptable or the legislature wrestling with the tough challenges of deciding to change the date of the primary. There’s no in-between.”

And Attorney General Dave Yost, also a Republican but not on the commission, has written them as well, saying unless lawmakers act, the primary will go forward without state House and Senate and congressional offices on the ballot.

Yost also writes that there could be problems with the November vote as well, and suggests that other ideas could be developed — for instance, "some sort of ranked-choice voting could be enacted, or a post-November runoff process ... But a solution must be found."

The Ohio Redistricting Commission will meet again on Wednesday afternoon. That's also the deadline for the commission to tell the Ohio Supreme Court why it shouldn't be held in contempt for not enacting maps by the court's ordered time last Thursday.

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