Ohio lawmakers want to move the presidential primary to May. What does that mean for 2024?

Ohio lawmakers are eyeing a change to the election schedule as the 2024 presidential race begins to heat up.

A new provision of the two-year budget would move Ohio's presidential primary election from March to May. House lawmakers added the measure to their version of the spending plan after working on the proposal put forward by Gov. Mike DeWine.

Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, said many members want to see the primary date changed.

“Why not have these contests at a time that’s going to generate better turnout?" said Rep. Daniel Troy, D-Willowick, who introduced a separate bill in February to move the primary. "More people are going to show up for a May primary than they are for a mid-March primary."

Ohio conducts May primaries in non-presidential years, but lawmakers decided nearly three decades ago to move the election to March for presidential cycles. Proponents argued it would give Ohio more of an influence over who's nominated for president.

The first March primary was held in 1996, and some legislators expressed concern at the time about low turnout, according to Columbus Dispatch archives. Then-Secretary of State Bob Taft said other states also moved up their primaries that year, which left Ohio without much of a say in the nominees.

"Only a handful of states had any impact on the outcome; Ohio voters virtually were shut out of the process by the time of our March 19 primary," Taft wrote in a 1996 letter to the editor.

Nearly half of Ohio voters cast ballots in March 2016 when former Gov. John Kasich ran for president. Kasich signed legislation that year to move the primary back a week, enabling him to win all of Ohio's GOP delegates.

Turnout in March 2020 sat around 24%, but the date of that primary was in flux as state officials grappled with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What would May primary mean for 2024?

Troy said a May primary would inspire stronger turnout and eliminate confusion among voters.

It may also give Ohio officials more time to redraw congressional and legislative districts for the 2024 election. A federal court ruled that the latest maps could only be used in 2022, meaning Republicans and Democrats must return to the drawing board in the coming months.

Election officials are divided over the timing of the primary, said Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials. A March primary helps them prepare for the November general election, but May is consistent and boosts poll worker recruitment. Ockerman said snowbirds who work elections are still down south in March.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose isn't eager to revamp the primary schedule.

"For years, Ohio has held its presidential primary election in March, and it’s worked well," LaRose spokesman Rob Nichols said. "We don’t see any reason to change."

Under a 2024 May primary, Republicans angling for the chance to take on U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown would get more time to make their pitch to voters in the primary. More time means more money, but the two candidates already in the race − state Sen. Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno − have personal wealth to boost their campaigns if needed.

Whether Ohio has a chance of affecting the presidential race depends largely on how competitive it gets.

"The conventional wisdom is that moving a primary back reduces the odds that a state will play an important role in the outcome," said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball. "That is true as far as it goes, although moving back could also end up giving a state a greater role − if the race goes deep into the calendar. It’s impossible to know this far in advance whether either primary will be contested deep into May."

USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau reporter Anna Staver contributed.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio lawmakers want to move 2024 presidential primary to May