Democratic Party primaries in Ohio, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: Oct. 10 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
- Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Primary elections—in which registered voters select a candidate whom they believe should run on their party's ticket in the general election—can reflect internal conflict over the direction of a party.
Heading into the 2018 election, the Democratic Party sought to increase its power at the state and federal levels under the Trump administration. Its membership, however, disagreed on several major policy areas, including healthcare, free trade, education funding, a federal job guarantee, and a proposal to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[1][2]
Candidates endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee won 31 of 33 primaries in 2018.[3] Democratic Socialists of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D) primary victory over incumbent Joseph Crowley (D) in New York's 14th Congressional District was a notable victory for progressive activists.[4][5][6]
Democrats also won a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama for the first time in 30 years and flipped longtime Republican seats in the Wisconsin state Senate and Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District. A record number of Republican congressional retirements also led to large Democratic fields for typically non-competitive seats.[7]
This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that took place in Ohio on May 8, 2018. In addition, the page provides context for understanding the state party apparatus.
Battleground primaries
Battleground elections are those that Ballotpedia expected would either be more competitive than other races or attract significant national attention.
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Democratic primary candidatesState elections
Ohio Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-six years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election
Democratic primary candidates
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State legislative elections
Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 Ohio state legislative Democratic primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Republican caucus or had an impact on general election races.
To determine the Ohio state legislative Democratic primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:
- Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
- One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
- The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.
State House battlegrounds
House District 10
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
| Term-limited |
What made this a battleground race?
| Eight Democrats ran to replace term-limited Bill Patmon (D). Terrence Upchurch was backed by the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party; Kyle Earley was endorsed by the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.[10] |
House District 13
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
| Term-limited |
What made this a battleground race?
| The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party backed Tom Bullock over Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus-supported Michael Skindell in the District 13 primary to replace Nickie Antonio.[10] |
State party overview
- See also: Democratic Party of Ohio
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws. The following table displays the Democratic Party of Ohio's revenue over a six-year period from 2011 to 2016. Revenue totals are broken down by account type and year. The data was compiled through publicly available state and federal campaign finance reports.
| Democratic Party of Ohio revenue, 2011 to 2016[11][12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Federal account | State account(s) | Total |
| 2011 | $2,866,997.97 | $3,975,363.24 | $6,842,361.21 |
| 2012 | $30,210,138.86 | $12,793,815.85 | $43,003,954.71 |
| 2013 | $2,185,345.58 | $4,361,971.49 | $6,547,317.07 |
| 2014 | $2,284,569.54 | $10,293,634.07 | $12,578,203.61 |
| 2015 | $1,460,802.12 | $3,863,899.33 | $5,324,701.45 |
| 2016 | $21,650,969.98 | $9,311,680.68 | $30,962,650.66 |
Ohio compared to other states
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following maps display total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic and Republican state party affiliates from 2011 to 2016. The blue map displays Democratic state parties and the red map displays Republican state parties. Click on a state below to view the state party's revenue per capita totals:
Total Democratic and Republican state political party revenue per capita in the United States, 2011-2016
Primary election scheduling
Ohio was one of four states to hold a primary election on May 8, 2018.
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Ohio utilizes an open primary system. In an open primary system, a voter does not have to register with a political party beforehand in order to vote in that party's primary. In Ohio, voters select their preferred party primary ballots at their polling places on Election Day.[13][14][15][16]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In Ohio, all polling places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Voters who are in line at 7:30 p.m. are permitted to vote.[17]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in Ohio, an applicant must be a United States citizen, a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days before the election, and at least 18 years old by the day of the election. Individuals who are incarcerated for a felony conviction, have been declared by a court to be incompetent for voting purposes, or have been permanently disenfranchised may not register to vote.[18]
Applicants may register to vote online, in person, or by mail. The Ohio Voter Registration and Information Update Form is available online and can be requested by mail. In-person voter registration is available at various locations including the secretary of state and board of elections offices, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices, public libraries and high schools, and other state agencies. A full list of locations is available here.
The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before the next election. An Ohio driver’s license number, state ID card number, or the last four digits of a SSN is required in order to register to vote or update a voter registration.[19][20]
Automatic registration
Ohio does not practice automatic voter registration.[21]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Ohio has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
Ohio does not allow same-day voter registration.[21]
Residency requirements
Prospective voters must be residents of Ohio for at least 30 days before the election.[21]
Verification of citizenship
Ohio does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "whoever commits election falsification is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree."[22]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[23] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The Ohio Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voter ID requirements
Ohio requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[24]
The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2023. Click here for the Ohio Secretary of State page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
| “ |
All photo IDs must have the following:
|
” |
Early voting
Ohio permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Ohio. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[26]
Absentee ballots may be requested for each individual election beginning on January 1, or 90 days before the date of an election, whichever is earlier. The request must be received by the local county board of elections by the close of business on the seventh day before the election. A returned absentee ballot must then be postmarked at least one day before Election Day and received by the elections board no later than 4 days after the election.[26][27]
See also
| Federal primaries in Ohio | State primaries in Ohio | Ohio state party apparatus | Ohio voter information |
|---|---|---|---|
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Footnotes
- ↑ CNN, "Why a 'federal jobs guarantee' is gaining steam with Democrats," April 26, 2018
- ↑ The Atlantic, "What ‘Abolish ICE’ Actually Means," July 11, 2018
- ↑ CNBC, "Despite Ocasio-Cortez upset, Democratic primaries have not gone as far left as some argue," June 28, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "There Is a Revolution on the Left. Democrats Are Bracing." July 21, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "Democrats Are Moving Left. Don’t Panic," July 23, 2018
- ↑ Time, "How Democrats in Congress Responded to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Surprise Win," June 28, 2018
- ↑ CNN, "9 Democratic primaries to watch in 2018," October 26, 2017
- ↑ Sherrod Brown now has $8.3 million in bank for re-election bid," October 10, 2017
- ↑ Cleveland Jewish News, "Dettelbach announces Ohio Attorney General candidacy," May 30, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Top 10 Ohio House Democratic primaries to watch in 2018," March 20, 2018
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Ohio Republican State Central & Executive Committee and Ohio Democratic Party)
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Ohio Republican Party State Central & Executive Committee and Ohio Democratic Party)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ LAWriter Ohio Laws and Rules, "3501.01 Election procedure - election officials definitions.," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, “Election Day Voting,” accessed April 12, 2023
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, “Voter Eligibility & Residency Requirements,” accessed April 12, 2023
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, “Register to Vote and Update Your Registration,” accessed April 6, 2023
- ↑ Democracy Docket, “Ohio Governor Signs Strict Photo ID Bill Into Law,” January 6, 2023
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed August 7, 2024
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Voter Registration and Information Update Form," accessed November 2, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Identification requirements," accessed Aprl 6, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Ohio Secretary of State, "Voting Absentee by Mail," accessed April 6, 2023
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "Ohio Governor Signs Strict Photo ID Bill Into Law," January 6, 2023
