Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Voter Registration For St. Pat's Primary Closes Tuesday

Ohio Public Radio

The deadline to register to vote for the first-ever Ohio presidential primary on March 17 is Tuesday. Early voting begins Wednesday.

The most recent stats show there are 7,730,676 registered voters in Ohio, out of a population of nearly 11.7 million people.

15 Democratic candidates and one Republican candidate have been certified for the Ohio ballot.  President Donald Trump is the lone Republican, since Bill Weld did not qualify.

The Democrats include the eight candidates still in the race: Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren. The Secretary of State's office said a candidate must withdraw before the 70th day before the election, which was January 7.  None did this.

But Democratic candidate Cory Booker did notify the Secretary of State's office that he was withdrawing from the race after that date. So, while he will still be listed, there will be a notice posted and provided to voters that he withdrew his name from the ballot, and votes for him won't be counted. But candidates who submitted notices of withdrawal after February 6 will be listed, and votes for them will be counted.

There are also primaries in many of Ohio's 16 Congressional districts. 

No primary opponents:

  • Steve Chabot (R-1) - he'll face the winner of Nikki Foster v Kate Schroder
  • Jim Jordan (R-4)
  • Bob Latta (R-5) - he'll face the winner of Gene Redinger v Nick Rubando
  • Tim Ryan (D-13)
  • Anthony Gonzalez (R-16) he'll face the winner of Aaron Godfrey v Robert Karpus

One primary opponent:

  • Brad Wenstrup (R-2) v. Robert Harris
  • Joyce Beatty (D-3) v Morgan Harper
  • Bill Johnson (R-6) v Kenneth Morgan
  • Warren Davidson (R-8) v Edward Meer
  • Marcy Kaptur (R-9) v Peter Rosewicz
  • Troy Balderson (R-12) v Tim Day
  • Dave Joyce (R-14) v Mark Pitrone
  • Steve Stivers (R-15) v Shelby Hunter

Multiple primary opponents:

  • Mike Turner (R-10) v John Anderson and Kathi Flanders
  • Marcia Fudge (D-11) v James Jerome Bell, Ari Friedman, Michael Hood and Tariq Shabazz

Incumbent Bob Gibbs (R-7) has no primary opponent, and neither does his Democratic challenger Patrick Quinn.
There are contested primaries among the non-incumbent candidates in 12 districts, including a seven-way Republican primary to face Democrat Tim Ryan:

  • Christina Hagan
  • Duane Hennen
  • Louis Lyras
  • Richard Morckel
  • Jason Mormando
  • Robert Santos
  • Donald Truex

There's a four-way Republican primary to face Democrat Marcy Kaptur:

  • Charles Barrett
  • Tim Conners
  • Timothy Corrigan
  • Rob Weber

There's a three-way Democratic primary to face Republican Jim Jordan:

  • Shannon Freshour
  • Mike Larsen
  • Jeffrey Sites

And a three-way Republican primary to face Democrat Marcia Fudge:

  • Laverne Gore
  • Jonah Schulz
  • Shalira Taylor 

There are also hundreds of issues and questions on local ballots, both partisan and non-partisan ballots.

Voters can check their registration with the Secretary of State's office at this link.

The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.
Related Content