Tuscarawas County Board of Elections gears up for Aug. 2 primary
NEW PHILADELPHIA — July 5 will be the last day for residents to register to vote in Ohio's second primary election to be held this year.
On Aug. 2, voters will choose partisan candidates for the Ohio House and Senate, as well as the Republican and Democratic state central committees.
There will be no tax issues on the ballot.
"It's going to be a short ballot. That's all that's going to be on it," said Gail Garbrandt, director of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections.
On Friday, a federal court ruled that the state will be using legislative maps that the Ohio Supreme Court rejected as unconstitutional. "We chose the best of our bad options," the two-judge majority wrote in their order to Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
The maps apply to the Aug. 2 primary and Nov. 8 general elections. The Ohio Redistricting Commission will need to craft different maps for 2024. By then, the deciding vote in the Ohio Supreme Court's redistricting decisions, Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, will no longer be on the bench.
LaRose estimated the second primary would cost taxpayers between $20 million to $25 million and add to voter confusion. Turnout is expected to be dismal.
The offices of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on July 5 for residents to register or change their address, Garbrandt said.
Early voting will begin on July 6. For three weeks, the board office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for voting.
There will be extended hours the weekend before the election. The office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 30; from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 31; and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 1.
On Election Day, all 81 precincts will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Garbrandt said.
"If people want to vote absentee, they're going to have to fill out another ballot application," she said. "They can send those in anytime. So they need to get them to us before noon on July 30. That's the last day for us to issue an absentee ballot."
If they filled out an absentee request in May, they still have to do it for the August primary, she said.
State Rep. Brett Hillyer, R-Uhrichsville, is the only candidate running in the new 51st House District. The district includes all of Tuscarawas County and the southern portion of Stark County.
Tuscarawas County Commissioner Al Landis, a Republican, is the only candidate running for the 31st Senate District. The district includes Wayne County, the southwest corner of Stark County, Tuscarawas County, western Guernsey County and Muskingum County.
Independent candidates running for the Ohio House and Senate in the Nov. 8 general election must submit their nominating petitions by 4 p.m. Aug. 1.
The Cincinnati Enquirer contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Tuscarawas County Board of Elections gears up for Aug. 2 primary
