Early voting begins in rare Ohio second primary

(The Center Square) – Ohio voters can begin casting ballots today as early voting begins in a rare second primary that uses state legislative district maps that were twice declared unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court.

The primary, which Secretary of State Frank LaRose has said could cost taxpayers up to $20 million, will select Republican and Democrat candidates for state House and Senate districts, as well as party central committee members. Ohio held its traditional primary May 3 for statewide, congressional and local races.

Military ballots and overseas ballots were mailed June 17. Absentee voting by mail also begins today, and those ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 1.

Ohio’s early voting dates are weekdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. through July 29. In-person early voting can also be done July 30 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.; July 31 from 1-5 p.m.; and Aug. 1 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.

New overseas ballots were recently sent to military and overseas voters registered in Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Montgomery and Perry counties after the Ohio Supreme Court allowed six Democratic candidates on the ballot after the filing deadline.

In late May, federal judges made good on a promise to implement Ohio state legislative district maps that were previously ruled unconstitutional twice by the Ohio Supreme Court.

The three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, by a vote of 2-1, also ordered the state to hold its second primary Aug. 2.

The order came from a lawsuit filed by a group of Republican voters.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission’s third set of state district maps had been ruled unconstitutional twice by the Supreme Court, most recently May 25 when it called the commission’s actions a “stunning rebuke of the rule of law.”

Republicans had resubmitted the third set of maps – tossed out once before by the court – because they said they did not have time to draw new maps.

The Supreme Court has said each of the four sets of maps presented by the commission were unfairly gerrymandered to favor Republicans.

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