Ohio state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

Elections 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.

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2018 Ohio General Assembly elections
General	November 6, 2018
Primary	May 8, 2018

2018 elections
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The Democratic primary elections for the seats in the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives were on May 8, 2018. For information about the Republican primary elections in Ohio, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was February 7, 2018. In the state Senate, 17 of 33 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 99 seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of December 2017, Ohio was one of 26 Republican trifectas. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

Incumbents who did not advance to the general election

Retiring incumbents

Four Democratic state Senate incumbents did not seek re-election in 2018:

• Edna Brown (District 11)
• Charleta B. Tavares (District 15)
• Michael Skindell (District 23)
• Joseph Schiavoni (District 33)

Eleven state House incumbents did not seek re-election in 2018:

• Bill Patmon (District 10)
• John E. Barnes Jr. (District 12)
• Nickie Antonio (District 13)
• Martin Sweeney (District 14)
• Hearcel Craig (District 26)
• Alicia Reece (District 33)
• Michael Ashford (District 44)
• Teresa Fedor (District 45)
• Dan Ramos (District 56)
• John Boccieri (District 59)
• Kathleen Clyde (District 75)

Competitiveness

See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and Ohio state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

There were 41 open seats in 2018, which was higher than the 27 open seats in 2016 and 2014. The 33 contested Democratic primaries was up from 17 in 2016 and 18 in 2014. The 33 contested Republican primaries was up from 28 in 2016 but down from 34 in 2014. The 320 candidates running was up from 274 in 2016 and 289 in 2014.

Year	Total seats	Open seats	Total candidates	Democratic primaries contested	Republican primaries contested	Total contested	Incumbents contested in primaries	Total incumbents contested in primaries
2018	116	41	320	33	33	28.4%	21	28.0%
2016	115	27	274	17	28	19.6%	14	15.9%
2014	116	27	289	18	34	22.4%	23	25.8%

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio State Senate as of July 2018:

Ohio House of Representatives

Party		As of July 2018
	Democratic Party	33
	Republican Party	65
	Vacancies	1
Total		99

Ohio State Senate

Party		As of July 2018
	Democratic Party	9
	Republican Party	24
	Vacancies	0
Total		33

Battleground races

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:

1. Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
2. One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
3. 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.

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.

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 law provides for closed primaries, meaning a voter to be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. However a voter of any affiliation can choose the ballot they would like to vote on the day of the primary and their choice may be regarded as registration with that party.

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.

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.

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.

Automatic registration

Ohio does not practice automatic voter registration.

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.

Residency requirements

Prospective voters must be residents of Ohio for at least 30 days before the election.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Ohio requires those registering to vote or updating their voter registration information at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed to do so. Individuals registering to vote in other settings do not have to provide proof of citizenship but must attest to their citizenship in a sworn statement.

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. 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. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. 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.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of October 2025. Click here for the Ohio Secretary of State page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

“

Ohio driver's license; State of Ohio ID card; Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV; A US passport; A US passport card; US military ID card; Ohio National Guard ID card; or US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card All photo IDs must have the following: An expiration date that has not passed; A photograph of the voter; The voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book An unexpired Ohio Driver License, State ID Card, or Interim Documentation with your former address IS an ACCEPTABLE form of ID when your current address is in the pollbook.

”

Ohio voters can obtain a free state ID card from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

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.

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.

See also

• Ohio state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
• Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2018
• Ohio State Senate elections, 2018
• Ohio State Legislature
• Ohio elections, 2018