130th Ohio General Assembly
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As Passed by the House

123rd General Assembly
Regular Session
1999-2000
Am. Sub. H. B. No. 157

REPRESENTATIVES CATES-BUCHY-CALLENDER-CORBIN-COUGHLIN-EVANS- GOODMAN-HARRIS-JACOBSON-JOLIVETTE-KREBS-MYERS- NETZLEY-OLMAN-ROMAN-SCHUCK-O'BRIEN-YOUNG


A BILL
To amend sections 3501.01, 3513.01, 3513.05, 3513.12, and 3517.03 and to enact section 3513.051 of the Revised Code to change the date of the primary election held in presidential election years from the third Tuesday in March to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, and to allow the county central committee of a political party to determine that persons desiring to become candidates for election as a member of the county central committee of that party in that county need not file a petition.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:


Section 1. That sections 3501.01, 3513.01, 3513.05, 3513.12, and 3517.03 be amended and section 3513.051 of the Revised Code by enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 3501.01. As used in the sections of the Revised Code relating to elections and political communications:

(A) "General election" means the election held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in each November.

(B) "Regular municipal election" means the election held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each odd-numbered year.

(C) "Regular state election" means the election held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each even-numbered year.

(D) "Special election" means any election other than those elections defined in other divisions of this section. A special election may be held only on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in February, May, August, or November, or on the day authorized by a particular municipal or county charter for the holding of a primary election, except that in any year in which a presidential primary election is held, no special election shall be held in February or May, except as authorized by a municipal or county charter, but may be held on the third FIRST Tuesday AFTER THE FIRST MONDAY in March.

(E)(1) "Primary" or "primary election" means an election held for the purpose of nominating persons as candidates of political parties for election to offices, and for the purpose of electing persons as members of the controlling committees of political parties and as delegates and alternates to the conventions of political parties. Primary elections shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May of each year except in years in which a presidential primary election is held.

(2) "Presidential primary election" means a primary election as that term is defined by division (E)(1) of this section at which an election is held for the purpose of choosing delegates and alternates to the national conventions of the major political parties pursuant to section 3513.12 of the Revised Code. Unless otherwise specified, presidential primary elections are included in references to primary elections. In years in which a presidential primary election is held, all primary elections shall be held on the third FIRST Tuesday AFTER THE FIRST MONDAY in March except as otherwise authorized by a municipal or county charter.

(F) "Political party" means any group of voters meeting the requirements set forth in section 3517.01 of the Revised Code for the formation and existence of a political party.

(1) "Major political party" means any political party organized under the laws of this state whose candidate for governor or nominees for presidential electors received no less than twenty per cent of the total vote cast for such office at the most recent regular state election.

(2) "Intermediate political party" means any political party organized under the laws of this state whose candidate for governor or nominees for presidential electors received less than twenty per cent but not less than ten per cent of the total vote cast for such office at the most recent regular state election.

(3) "Minor political party" means any political party organized under the laws of this state whose candidate for governor or nominees for presidential electors received less than ten per cent but not less than five per cent of the total vote cast for such office at the most recent regular state election or which has filed with the secretary of state, subsequent to any election in which it received less than five per cent of such vote, a petition signed by qualified electors equal in number to at least one per cent of the total vote cast for such office in the last preceding regular state election, except that a newly formed political party shall be known as a minor political party until the time of the first election for governor or president which occurs not less than twelve months subsequent to the formation of such party, after which election the status of such party shall be determined by the vote for the office of governor or president.

(G) "Dominant party in a precinct" or "dominant political party in a precinct" means that political party whose candidate for election to the office of governor at the most recent regular state election at which a governor was elected received more votes than any other person received for election to said THAT office in such precinct at such election.

(H) "Candidate" means any qualified person certified in accordance with the provisions of the Revised Code for placement on the official ballot of a primary, general, or special election to be held in this state, or any qualified person who represents himself or herself CLAIMS to be a write-in candidate, or who knowingly assents to such representation BEING REPRESENTED AS A WRITE-IN CANDIDATE by another at either a primary, general, or special election to be held in this state.

(I) "Independent candidate" means any candidate who does not consider himself or herself CLAIMS NOT TO BE affiliated with a political party, and who has his or her WHOSE name HAS BEEN certified on the office-type ballot at a general or special election through the filing of a statement of candidacy and nominating petition, as prescribed in section 3513.257 of the Revised Code.

(J) "Nonpartisan candidate" means any candidate whose name is required, pursuant to section 3505.04 of the Revised Code, to be listed on the nonpartisan ballot, including all candidates for judicial office, for member of any board of education, for municipal or township offices in which primary elections are not held for nominating candidates by political parties, and for offices of municipal corporations having charters that provide for separate ballots for elections for these offices.

(K) "Party candidate" means any candidate who considers himself or herself CLAIMS TO BE a member of a political party, who has his or her WHOSE name HAS BEEN certified on the office-type ballot at a general or special election through the filing of a declaration of candidacy and petition of candidate, and who has won the primary election of his or her THE CANDIDATE'S party for the public office the candidate seeks or is selected by party committee in accordance with section 3513.31 of the Revised Code.

(L) "Officer of a political party" includes, but is not limited to, any member, elected or appointed, of a controlling committee, whether representing the territory of the state, a district therein, a county, township, a city, a ward, a precinct, or other territory, of a major, intermediate, or minor political party.

(M) "Question or issue" means any question or issue certified in accordance with the Revised Code for placement on an official ballot at a general or special election to be held in this state.

(N) "Elector" or "qualified elector" means a person having the qualifications provided by law to be entitled to vote.

(O) "Voter" means an elector who votes at an election.

(P) "Voting residence" means that place of residence of an elector which shall determine the precinct in which the elector may vote.

(Q) "Precinct" means a district within a county established by the board of elections of such county within which all qualified electors having a voting residence therein may vote at the same polling place.

(R) "Polling place" means that place provided for each precinct at which the electors having a voting residence in such precinct may vote.

(S) "Board" or "board of elections" means the board of elections appointed in a county pursuant to section 3501.06 of the Revised Code.

(T) "Political subdivision" means "county," "township," "city," "village," or "school district."

(U) "Election officer or official" means any of the following:

(1) Secretary of state;

(2) Employees of the secretary of state serving in the division of elections in the capacity of attorney, administrative officer, administrative assistant, elections administrator, office manager, or clerical supervisor;

(3) Director of a board of elections;

(4) Deputy director of a board of elections;

(5) Employees of a board of elections;

(6) Precinct polling place judges and clerks;

(7) Employees appointed by the boards of elections on a temporary or part-time basis.

(V) "Acknowledgment notice" means a notice sent by a board of elections, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, informing a voter registration applicant or an applicant who wishes to change his or her THE APPLICANT'S residence or name of the status of his or her THE application; the information necessary to complete or update his or her THE application, if any; and if the application is complete, the precinct in which the applicant is to vote.

(W) "Confirmation notice" means a notice sent by a board of elections, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, to a registered elector to confirm the registered elector's current address.

(X) "Designated agency" means an office or agency in the state that provides public assistance or that provides state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities and that is required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to implement a program designed and administered by the secretary of state for registering voters, or any other public or government office or agency that implements a program designed and administered by the secretary of state for registering voters, including the department of human services, the program administered under section 3701.132 of the Revised Code by the department of health, the department of mental health, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the rehabilitation services commission, and any other agency the secretary of state designates. "Designated agency" does not include public high schools and vocational schools, public libraries, or the office of a county treasurer.

(Y) "National Voter Registration Act of 1993" means the "National Voter Registration Act of 1993," 107 Stat. 77, 42 U.S.C.A. 1973gg.

(Z) "Voting Rights Act of 1965" means the "Voting Rights Act of 1965," 79 Stat. 437, 42 U.S.C.A. 1973, as amended.

Sec. 3513.01. (A) Except as otherwise provided in this section, on the third FIRST Tuesday AFTER THE FIRST MONDAY in March of 1996 2000 and every fourth year thereafter, and on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May of every other year, primary elections shall be held for the purpose of nominating persons as candidates of political parties for election to offices to be voted for at the succeeding general election.

(B) The manner of nominating persons as candidates for election as officers of a municipal corporation having a population of two thousand or more, as ascertained by the most recent federal census, shall be the same as the manner in which candidates were nominated for election as officers in the municipal corporation in 1989 unless the manner of nominating such candidates is changed under division (C), (D), or (E) of this section.

(C) Primary elections shall not be held for the nomination of candidates for election as officers of any township, or any municipal corporation having a population of less than two thousand persons, unless a majority of the electors of any such township or municipal corporation, as determined by the total number of votes cast in such township or municipal corporation for the office of governor at the most recent regular state election, files with the board of elections of the county within which such township or municipal corporation is located, or within which the major portion of the population thereof is located, if the municipal corporation is situated in more than one county, not later than one hundred five days before the day of a primary election, a petition signed by such electors asking that candidates for election as officers of such township or municipal corporation be nominated as candidates of political parties, in which event primary elections shall be held in such township or municipal corporation for the purpose of nominating persons as candidates of political parties for election as officers of such township or municipal corporation to be voted for at the succeeding regular municipal election. In a township or municipal corporation where a majority of the electors have filed a petition asking that candidates for election as officers of the township or municipal corporation be nominated as candidates of political parties, the nomination of candidates for a nonpartisan election may be reestablished in the manner prescribed in division (E) of this section.

(D)(1) The electors in a municipal corporation having a population of two thousand or more, in which municipal officers were nominated in the most recent election by nominating petition and elected by nonpartisan election, may place on the ballot in the manner prescribed in division (D)(2) of this section the question of changing to the primary-election method of nominating persons as candidates for election as officers of the municipal corporation.

(2) The board of elections of the county within which the municipal corporation is located, or, if the municipal corporation is located in more than one county, of the county within which the major portion of the population of the municipal corporation is located, shall, upon receipt of a petition signed by electors of the municipal corporation equal in number to at least ten per cent of the vote cast at the last MOST RECENT regular municipal election, submit to the electors of the municipal corporation the question of changing to the primary-election method of nominating persons as candidates for election as officers of the municipal corporation. The ballot language shall be substantially as follows:

"Shall candidates for election as officers of ............ (name of municipal corporation) in the county of ............ (name of county) be nominated as candidates of political parties?

........ yes

........ no"

The question shall be placed on the ballot at the next general election in an even-numbered year occurring at least seventy-five days after the petition is filed with the board. If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote in the affirmative, candidates for election as officers of the municipal corporation shall thereafter be nominated as candidates of political parties in primary elections, under division (A) of this section, unless a change in the manner of nominating persons as candidates for election as officers of the municipal corporation is made under division (E) of this section.

(E)(1) The electors in a township or municipal corporation in which the township or municipal officers are nominated as candidates of political parties in a primary election may place on the ballot, in the manner prescribed in division (E)(2) of this section, the question of changing to the nonpartisan method of nominating persons as candidates for election as officers of the township or municipal corporation.

(2) The board of elections of the county within which the township or municipal corporation is located, or, if the municipal corporation is located in more than one county, of the county within which the major portion of the population of the municipal corporation is located, shall, upon receipt of a petition signed by electors of the township or municipal corporation equal in number to at least ten per cent of the vote cast at the last MOST RECENT regular township or municipal election, as appropriate, submit to the electors of the township or municipal corporation, as appropriate, the question of changing to the nonpartisan method of nominating persons as candidates for election as officers of the township or municipal corporation. The ballot language shall be substantially as follows:

"Shall candidates for election as officers of ............ (name of the township or municipal corporation) in the county of ............ (name of county) be nominated as candidates by nominating petition and be elected only in a nonpartisan election?

........ yes

........ no"

The question shall appear on the ballot at the next general election in an even-numbered year occurring at least seventy-five days after the petition is filed with the board. If a majority of electors voting on the question vote in the affirmative, candidates for officer of the township or municipal corporation shall thereafter be nominated by nominating petition and be elected only in a nonpartisan election, unless a change in the manner of nominating persons as candidates for election as officers of the township or municipal corporation is made under division (C) or (D) of this section.

Sec. 3513.05. Each person desiring to become a candidate for a party nomination or for election to an office or position to be voted for at a primary election, except persons desiring to become joint candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor AND EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED IN SECTION 3513.051 OF THE REVISED CODE, shall, not later than four p.m. of the seventy-fifth day before the day of the primary election, or if the primary election is a presidential primary election, not later than four p.m. of the sixtieth day before the day of the presidential primary election, file a declaration of candidacy and petition and pay the fees required under divisions (A) and (B) of section 3513.10 of the Revised Code. The declaration of candidacy and all separate petition papers shall be filed at the same time as one instrument. When the offices are to be voted for at a primary election, persons desiring to become joint candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor shall, not later than four p.m. of the seventy-fifth day before the day of the primary election, comply with section 3513.04 of the Revised Code. The prospective joint candidates' declaration of candidacy and all separate petition papers of candidacies shall be filed at the same time, as one instrument.

If the declaration of candidacy declares a candidacy which is to be submitted to electors throughout the entire state, the petition, including a petition for joint candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, shall be signed by at least one thousand qualified electors who are members of the same political party as the candidate or joint candidates, and the declaration of candidacy and petition shall be filed with the secretary of state; provided that the secretary of state shall not accept or file any such petition appearing on its face to contain signatures of more than three thousand electors.

Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, if the declaration of candidacy is of one that is to be submitted only to electors within a district, political subdivision, or portion thereof, the petition shall be signed by not less than fifty qualified electors who are members of the same political party as the political party of which the candidate is a member. If the declaration of candidacy is for party nomination as a candidate for member of the legislative authority of a municipal corporation elected by ward, the petition shall be signed by not less than twenty-five qualified electors who are members of the political party of which the candidate is a member.

No such petition, except the petition for a candidacy that is to be submitted to electors throughout the entire state, shall be accepted for filing if it appears to contain on its face signatures of more than three times the minimum number of signatures. When a petition of a candidate has been accepted for filing by a board of elections, the petition shall not be deemed invalid if, upon verification of signatures contained in the petition, the board of elections finds the number of signatures accepted exceeds three times the minimum number of signatures required. A board of elections may discontinue verifying signatures on petitions when the number of verified signatures equals the minimum required number of qualified signatures.

If the declaration of candidacy declares a candidacy for party nomination or for election as a candidate of an intermediate or minor party, the minimum number of signatures on such petition is one-half the minimum number provided in this section, except that, when the candidacy is one for election as a member of the state central committee or the county central committee of a political party, the minimum number shall be the same for an intermediate or minor party as for a major party.

If a declaration of candidacy is one for election as a member of the state central committee or the county central committee of a political party, the petition shall be signed by five qualified electors of the district, county, ward, township, or precinct within which electors may vote for such candidate. The electors signing such petition shall be members of the same political party as the political party of which the candidate is a member.

For purposes of signing or circulating a petition of candidacy for party nomination or election, an elector is considered to be a member of a political party if the elector voted in that party's primary election within the preceding two calendar years, or if the elector did not vote in any other party's primary election within the preceding two calendar years.

If the declaration of candidacy is of one that is to be submitted only to electors within a county, or within a district or subdivision or part thereof smaller than a county, the petition shall be filed with the board of elections of the county. If the declaration of candidacy is of one that is to be submitted only to electors of a district or subdivision or part thereof that is situated in more than one county, the petition shall be filed with the board of elections of the county within which the major portion of the population thereof, as ascertained by the next preceding federal census, is located.

A petition shall consist of separate petition papers, each of which shall contain signatures of electors of only one county. Petitions or separate petition papers containing signatures of electors of more than one county shall not thereby be declared invalid. In case petitions or separate petition papers containing signatures of electors of more than one county are filed, the board shall determine the county from which the majority of signatures came, and only signatures from such county shall be counted. Signatures from any other county shall be invalid.

Each separate petition paper shall be circulated by one person only, who shall be the candidate or a joint candidate or a member of the same political party as the candidates, and each separate petition paper shall be governed by the rules set forth in section 3501.38 of the Revised Code.

The secretary of state shall promptly transmit to each board such separate petition papers of each petition accompanying a declaration of candidacy filed with him THE SECRETARY OF STATE as purport to contain signatures of electors of the county of such board. The board of the most populous county of a district shall promptly transmit to each board within such district such separate petition papers of each petition accompanying a declaration of candidacy filed with it as purport to contain signatures of electors of the county of each such board. The board of a county within which the major portion of the population of a subdivision, situated in more than one county, is located, shall promptly transmit to the board of each other county within which a portion of such subdivision is located such separate petition papers of each petition accompanying a declaration of candidacy filed with it as purport to contain signatures of electors of the portion of such subdivision in the county of each such board.

All petition papers so transmitted to a board and all petitions accompanying declarations of candidacy filed with such board shall, under proper regulations, be open to public inspection until four p.m. of the seventieth day before the day of the next primary election, or if that next primary election is a presidential primary election, the fifty-fifth day before that presidential primary election. Each board shall, not later than the sixty-eighth day before the day of such primary election, or if the primary election is a presidential primary election, not later than the fifty-third day before such presidential primary election, examine and determine the validity or invalidity of the signatures on the petition papers so transmitted to or filed with it and shall return to the secretary of state all petition papers transmitted to it by the secretary of state, together with its certification of its determination as to the validity or invalidity of signatures thereon, and shall return to each other board all petition papers transmitted to it by such board, together with its certification of its determination as to the validity or invalidity of the signatures thereon. All other matters affecting the validity or invalidity of such petition papers shall be determined by the secretary of state or the board with whom such petition papers were filed.

Protests against the candidacy of any person filing a declaration of candidacy for party nomination or for election to an office or position, as provided in this section, may be filed by any qualified elector who is a member of the same political party as the candidate and who is eligible to vote at the primary election for the candidate whose declaration of candidacy he THE ELECTOR objects to, or by the controlling committee of such party. Such protest must be in writing, and must be filed not later than four p.m. of the sixty-fourth day before the day of the primary election, or if the primary election is a presidential primary election, not later than four p.m. of the forty-ninth day before the day of the presidential primary election. Such protest shall be filed with the election officials with whom the declaration of candidacy and petition was filed. Upon the filing of such protest, the election officials with whom it is filed shall promptly fix the time for hearing it, and shall forthwith mail notice of the filing of such protest and the time fixed for hearing to the person whose candidacy is so protested. They shall also forthwith mail notice of the time fixed for such hearing to the person who filed the protest. At the time fixed, such election officials shall hear the protest and determine the validity or invalidity of the declaration of candidacy and petition. If they find that such candidate is not an elector of the state, district, county, or political subdivision in which the candidate seeks a party nomination or election to an office or position, or has not fully complied with this chapter, the candidate's declaration of candidacy and petition shall be determined to be invalid and shall be rejected, otherwise it shall be determined to be valid. Such determination shall be final.

A protest against the candidacy of any persons filing a declaration of candidacy for joint party nomination to the offices of governor and lieutenant governor shall be filed, heard, and determined in the same manner as a protest against the candidacy of any person filing a declaration of candidacy singly.

The secretary of state shall, on the sixtieth day before the day of a primary election, or if the primary election is a presidential primary election, on the forty-fifth day before the day of the presidential primary election, certify to each board in the state the forms of the official ballots to be used at such primary election, together with the names of the candidates to be printed thereon whose nomination or election is to be determined by electors throughout the entire state and who filed valid declarations of candidacy and petitions.

The board of the most populous county in a district comprised of more than one county but less than all of the counties of the state shall on the sixtieth day before the day of a primary election, or if the primary election is a presidential primary election, on the forty-fifth day before the day of a presidential primary election, certify to the board of each county in the district the names of the candidates to be printed on the official ballots to be used at such primary election, whose nomination or election is to be determined only by electors within such district and who filed valid declarations of candidacy and petitions.

The board of a county within which the major portion of the population of a subdivision smaller than the county and situated in more than one county is located shall, on the sixtieth day before the day of a primary election, or if the primary election is a presidential primary election, on the forty-fifth day before the day of a presidential primary election, certify to the board of each county in which a portion of such subdivision is located the names of the candidates to be printed on the official ballots to be used at such primary election, whose nomination or election is to be determined only by electors within such subdivision and who filed valid declarations of candidacy and petitions.

Sec. 3513.051. (A) THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF A POLITICAL PARTY IN A PARTICULAR COUNTY MAY DETERMINE, NOT LATER THAN THE THIRTY-FIRST DAY OF DECEMBER OF THE YEAR PRECEDING THE NEXT PRIMARY ELECTION AT WHICH CANDIDATES FOR MEMBER OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE ARE ELECTED, THAT EACH PERSON DESIRING TO BECOME A CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION AS A MEMBER OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THAT PARTY IN THAT COUNTY SHALL FILE A DECLARATION OF CANDIDACY AS REQUIRED BY SECTION 3513.05 OF THE REVISED CODE BUT IS NOT REQUIRED TO FILE A PETITION AS REQUIRED BY THAT SECTION. IF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF A POLITICAL PARTY SO DETERMINES, EACH PERSON DESIRING TO BECOME A CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION AS A MEMBER OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THAT PARTY IN THAT COUNTY IS NOT REQUIRED TO FILE A PETITION AS REQUIRED BY THAT SECTION BUT SHALL COMPLY WITH ALL OTHER APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS OF THAT SECTION.

(B) IF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF A POLITICAL PARTY IN A PARTICULAR COUNTY HAS DETERMINED PURSUANT TO DIVISION (A) OF THIS SECTION THAT EACH PERSON DESIRING TO BECOME A CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION AS A MEMBER OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THAT PARTY IN THAT COUNTY IS NOT REQUIRED TO FILE A PETITION AS REQUIRED BY SECTION 3513.05 of the Revised Code, THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THAT POLITICAL PARTY IN THAT COUNTY MAY SUBSEQUENTLY DETERMINE THAT EACH PERSON DESIRING TO BECOME A CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION AS A MEMBER OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THAT PARTY IN THAT COUNTY SHALL FILE THAT PETITION. THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE SHALL MAKE THAT DETERMINATION NOT LATER THAN THE THIRTY-FIRST DAY OF DECEMBER OF THE YEAR PRECEDING THE NEXT PRIMARY ELECTION AT WHICH CANDIDATES FOR MEMBER OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE ARE ELECTED. AFTER THE COMMITTEE MAKES THAT DETERMINATION, EACH PERSON DESIRING TO BECOME A CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION AS A MEMBER OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THAT PARTY IN THAT COUNTY SHALL FILE THE PETITION REQUIRED BY SECTION 3513.05 of the Revised Code AND SHALL MEET ALL OTHER APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS OF THAT SECTION.

Sec. 3513.12. At a presidential primary election, which shall be held on the third FIRST Tuesday AFTER THE FIRST MONDAY in March in the year 1996 2000, and similarly in every fourth year thereafter, delegates and alternates to the national conventions of the different major political parties shall be chosen by direct vote of the electors as provided in this chapter. Candidates for delegate and alternate shall be qualified and the election shall be conducted in the manner prescribed in this chapter for the nomination of candidates for state and district offices, except as provided in section 3513.151 of the Revised Code and except that whenever any group of candidates for delegate at large or alternate at large, or any group of candidates for delegates or alternates from districts, file with the secretary of state statements as provided by this section, designating the same persons as their first and second choices for president of the United States, such a group of candidates may submit a group petition containing a declaration of candidacy for each of such candidates. The group petition need be signed only by the number of electors required for the petition of a single candidate. No group petition shall be submitted except by a group of candidates equal in number to the whole number of delegates at large or alternates at large to be elected or equal in number to the whole number of delegates or alternates from a district to be elected.

Each person seeking to be elected as delegate or alternate to the national convention of his THE PERSON'S political party shall file with his THE PERSON'S declaration of candidacy and certificate a statement in writing signed by him THE PERSON in which he THE PERSON shall state his THE PERSON'S first and second choices for nomination as the candidate of his THE PERSON'S party for the presidency of the United States. The secretary of state shall not permit any declaration of candidacy and certificate of a candidate for election as such delegate or alternate to be filed unless accompanied by such statement in writing. The name of a candidate for the presidency shall not be so used without his THE CANDIDATE'S written consent.

A person who is a first choice for president of candidates seeking election as delegates and alternates shall file with the secretary of state, prior to the day of the election, a list indicating the order in which certificates of election are to be issued to delegate or alternate candidates to whose candidacy he THE PERSON has consented, if fewer than all of such candidates are entitled under party rules to be certified as elected. Each candidate for election as such delegate or alternate may also file along with his THE CANDIDATE'S declaration of candidacy and certificate a statement in writing signed by him THE CANDIDATE in the following form:


"Statement of Candidate
For Election as ............ (Delegate) (Alternate) to the
............ (name of political party) National Convention

I hereby declare to the voters of my political party in the State of Ohio that, if elected as ............ (delegate) (alternate) to their national party convention, I shall, to the best of my judgment and ability, support that candidate for President of the United States who shall have been selected at this primary by the voters of my party in the manner provided in Chapter 3513. of the Ohio Revised Code, as their candidate for such office.
(name), Candidate for
(Delegate) (Alternate)"

The procedures for the selection of candidates for delegate and alternate to the national convention of a political party set forth in this section and in section 3513.121 of the Revised Code are alternative procedures, and if the procedures of this section are followed, the procedures of section 3513.121 of the Revised Code need not be followed.

Sec. 3517.03. The controlling committees of each major political party or organization shall be a state central committee consisting of two members, one a man and one a woman, representing either each congressional district in the state or each senatorial district in the state, as the outgoing committee determines; a county central committee consisting of one member from each election precinct in the county, or of one member from each ward in each city and from each township in the county, as the outgoing committee determines; and such district, city, township, or other committees as the rules of the party provide.

All the members of such committees shall be members of the party and shall be elected for terms of either two or four years, as determined by party rules, by direct vote at the primary held in an even-numbered year. Candidates for election as state central committee members shall be elected at primaries in the same manner as provided in sections 3513.01 to 3513.32 of the Revised Code, for the nomination of candidates for office in a county. Candidates for election as members of the county central committee shall be elected at primaries in the same manner as provided in such sections for the nomination of candidates for county offices, EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED IN SECTION 3513.051 OF THE of the Revised Code.

Each major party controlling committee shall elect an executive committee which shall have such powers as are granted to it by the party controlling committee, and as are provided by law. When a judicial, senatorial, or congressional district is comprised of more than one county, the chairman CHAIRPERSON and secretary of the county central committee from each county in such district shall constitute the judicial, senatorial, or congressional committee of such district. When a judicial, senatorial, or congressional district is included within a county, the county central committee shall constitute the judicial, senatorial, or congressional committee of such district.

The controlling committee of each intermediate political party or organization shall be a state central committee consisting of two members, one a man and one a woman, from each congressional district in the state. All members of such committee shall be members of the party and shall be elected by direct vote at the primary held in the even-numbered years. Candidates for election shall be elected at the primary in the same manner as provided in sections 3513.01 to 3513.32 of the Revised Code. An intermediate political party may have such other party organization as its rules provide. Each intermediate party shall file the names and addresses of its officers with the secretary of state.

A minor political party may elect controlling committees at a primary election in the even-numbered year by filing a plan for party organization with the secretary of state on or before the ninetieth day before the day of the primary election. Such plan shall specify which offices are to be elected and provide the procedure for qualification of candidates for such offices. Candidates to be elected pursuant to such plan shall be required to be designated and qualified on or before the ninetieth day before the day of the election. Such parties may, in lieu of electing a controlling committee or other officials, choose such committee or other officials in accordance with party rules. Each such party shall file the names and addresses of members of its controlling committee and party officers with the secretary of state.


Section 2. That existing sections 3501.01, 3513.01, 3513.05, 3513.12, and 3517.03 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
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