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Ohio House of Representatives

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Ohio House of
Representatives
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General Information
Party control:   Republican
Session start:   January 6, 2025
Session end:   December 31, 2025
Term length:   2 years
Term limits:   4 terms (8 years)
Redistricting:  Commission
Salary:   $71,099/year
Members
Total:  99
Democrats:  32
Republicans:  62
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
Speaker:   Matt Huffman (R)
Maj. Leader:   Marilyn John (R)
Min. Leader:   Dani Isaacsohn (D)
Elections
Last election:  November 5, 2024
Next election:  November 3, 2026

The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Ohio General Assembly. Alongside the Ohio State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the Ohio state government and works alongside the governor of Ohio to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Ohio House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Ohio House of Representatives meets at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

  • All 99 House seats were up for election in 2020. Click to read more »
  • In 2018, the chamber's Republican supermajority decreased from 66-32 (with one vacancy) to 61-38.
  • Ohio has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of September 13, 2025, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Ohio had a Republican trifecta. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.

    • This page contains the following information on the Ohio House of Representatives.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Ohio House of Representatives as of September 2025:

    Party As of September 2025
         Democratic Party 33
         Republican Party 65
         Other 0
         Vacancies 1
    Total 99

    Members

    Leadership

    The speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body and is elected by all members. Duties of the speaker include appointing the members and chairpersons of all committees, directing the legislative procedures and presiding over daily House sessions. In the absence of the speaker, the speaker pro tempore assumes the duties of the office.[1]

    Current leadership and members

    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2024[2]
    SalaryPer diem
    $71,099/yearNo per diem is paid.

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    Ohio legislators assume office January 1st.

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    Article 2, Section 3 of the Ohio Constitution states: "Senators and representatives shall have resided in their respective districts one year next preceding their election, unless they shall have been absent on the public business of the United States, or of this state."

    Article 2, Section 5 of the Ohio Constitution states: "No person hereafter convicted of an embezzlement of the public funds, shall hold any office in this state; nor shall any person, holding public money for disbursement, or otherwise, have a seat in the General Assembly, until he shall have accounted for, and paid such money into the treasury."

    Historical party control

    Republicans won control of the Ohio House of Representatives in 2010. In 2024, they won a 65-34 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Ohio House following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Ohio House of Representatives election results: 1992-2024

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22 '24
    Democrats 53 43 39 40 39 37 40 46 53 40 39 34 33 38 35 32 34
    Republicans 46 56 60 59 60 62 59 53 46 59 60 65 66 61 64 67 65

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Ohio gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2010 elections by taking control of the state House and governorship. The table below shows state government trifectas in Ohio from 1992 to 2019.

    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

    Elections

    Elections by year

    Ohio state representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. Ohio holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2026

    See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2026

    Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is May 5, 2026. The filing deadline is February 4, 2026.

    2024

    See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2024

    Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was March 19, 2024. The filing deadline was December 20, 2023.

    Heading into the 2024 elections, Republicans held a 67-32 majority. After the election, the Republican majority was 65-34.

    Ohio House of Representatives
    Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
         Democratic Party 32 34
         Republican Party 67 65
    Total 99 99

    2022

    See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2022

    Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was held on August 2, 2022. The filing deadline was February 2, 2022.

    A primary was originally scheduled for May 3, 2022, but was rescheduled after the State Supreme Court rejected the state legislative maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission. On May 28, 2022, Secretary of State Frank LaRose called for the primary to be held on August 2.[3][4]

    In the 2022 elections, the Republican majority in the Ohio state House increased from 64-35 to 67-32.

    Ohio House of Representatives
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 35 32
         Republican Party 64 67
    Total 99 99

    2020

    See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for April 28, 2020. The filing deadline was December 18, 2019.

    In the 2020 elections, the Republican majority in the Ohio House of Representatives increased from 61-38 to 64-35.

    Ohio House of Representatives
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 38 35
         Republican Party 61 64
    Total 99 99

    2018

    See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2018

    Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2018. The primary election took place on May 8, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The filing deadline for partisan candidates was February 7, 2018. The filing deadline for independent candidates was May 7, 2018.

    In the 2018 elections, the Republican majority in the Ohio House of Representatives was reduced from 66-32 to 61-38.

    Ohio House of Representatives
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 32 38
         Republican Party 66 61
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 99 99

    2016

    See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2016

    Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 16, 2015. All 99 seats in the Ohio House of Representatives were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 64-34 majority with one vacancy. Republicans gained two seats in the election, giving them a 66-33 majority.

    Ohio House of Representatives
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 34 33
         Republican Party 64 66
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 99 99

    Term limits

    See also: State legislatures with term limits

    The Ohio legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Ohio Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Ohio representatives are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms, or a total of eight years.[12]

    The first year that term limits were enacted was in 1992, and the first year that term limits impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the Ohio General Assembly, the vacancy must be filled by an election conducted by the members of the legislative house where the vacancy happened who are members of the party that last held the seat. A simple majority vote is needed in order to approve a replacement.[13]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Ohio Const. Art. 2, Sec. 11

    District map

    See also: Ohio state legislative districts

    The state of Ohio has 99 state House districts. Each district elects one representative.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Ohio

    In Ohio, the state legislature or a commission may have the opportunity to draw congressional maps. A bipartisan state legislative commission draws state legislative maps. A six-member advisory commission is involved in both the congressional and state legislative redistricting processes.

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in Ohio after the 2020 census

    Upon completion of the 2020 census, Ohio will draft and enact new district maps. On August 2, 2021, Governor Mike DeWine (R) announced the Ohio Redistricting Commission would hold its first meeting on August 6.[14] The commission did not meet the first legislative map completion deadline of September 1. The second and final deadline was September 15.

    The first congressional map deadline was September 30. Senate President Matt Huffman (R) said he did not expect the legislature to meet the congressional map deadline, saying: "I think it’s going to be – under the circumstances – difficult to meet for a couple of reasons."[15] Since a congressional map wasn't completed by that date, the Ohio Redistricting Commission had to draw a map by October 31. Since the commission did not adopt a map, the General Assembly had to draw a map by November 30.[16]

    2010

    Ohio received its 2010 local census data in early March 2011. Although the state population showed net growth, Ohio's large cities recorded significant population loss. Of the state's five largest cities, only Columbus showed population growth. Cleveland suffered the sharpest decline, losing 17.1% of its population.[17]

    The Ohio Legislative Task Force on Redistricting, Reapportionment, and Demographic Research assisted the General Assembly and Ohio Apportionment Board in drafting new maps. Four of the five members of the Board were Republicans. By a vote of 4-1 they gave final approval to a new map on September 28, 2011 - two days after posting them online. The lone Democrat on the Board, Rep. Armond Budish, opposed the map, saying it "quarantines" Democrats in 1/3 of the legislative districts.[18]

    On January 4, 2012, Democrats filed suit against the legislative maps, saying they violated constitutional requirements for compactness and preservation of county and municipal boundaries. The Ohio Supreme Court took the case but, due to the time factor, ruled the new maps would stand for the 2012 elections, with possible revisions to apply starting in 2014.[19]

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Ohio House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the House to the Senate and legislation that has already been approved by both chambers and signed by the governor. Information on legislation provided below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. The tracker is fully interactive. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read its text in full and see its voting history. You can click the headings to sort the content in the column. You can also rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Finally, in the bottom-left corner of the tracker is a magnifying glass, which, when clicked, will allow you to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in Ohio by year

    2025

    See also: 2025 Ohio legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

    In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 6, 2025, and adjourn on December 31, 2025.



    About legislative sessions in Ohio

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[29] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article II of the Ohio Constitution establishes when the Ohio General Assembly, of which the House of Representatives is a part, is to meet. Section 8 of Article II states that the regular session is to convene on the first Monday in January of each year, or the following day if that Monday is a legal holiday.

    Section 8 also contains rules for convening special sessions of the General Assembly. It empowers the Governor of Ohio or the presiding officers of the General Assembly to convene a special session. For the presiding officers to convene the session, they must act jointly.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and procedures for filling membership vacancies.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-Republican Party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Ohio are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Three-fifths of members in both chambers.

    Three-fifths of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 60 of the 99 members in the Ohio House of Representatives and 20 of the 33 members in the Ohio State Senate. Ohio is one of seven states that requires a three-fifths vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    Are there other special rules?

    If the governor vetoes an emergency measure, two-thirds of the members in both chambers are required to override the veto, which is 66 of the 99 state representatives and 22 of the 33 state senators.[30]

    Authority: Article II, Section 16 of the Ohio Constitution.

    "If the governor approves an act, he shall sign it, it becomes law and he shall file it with the secretary of state. If he does not approve it, he shall return it with his objections in writing, to the house in which it originated, which shall enter the objections at large upon its journal, and may then reconsider the vote on its passage. If three-fifths of the members elected to the house of origin vote to repass the bill, it shall be sent, with the objections of the governor, to the other house, which may also reconsider the vote on its passage. If three fifths of the members elected to the second house vote to repass it, it becomes law notwithstanding the objections of the governor, and the presiding officer of the second house shall file it with the secretary of state."

    Role in state budget

    See also: Ohio state budget and finances
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    The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[31]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in July of the year preceding the start of the new biennium.
    2. State agencies submit their requests to the governor between September and October.
    3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in February (the deadline is extended to March 15 for a newly elected governor).
    4. The legislature typically adopts a budget in June. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The biennium begins July 1 of odd-numbered years.

    Ohio is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[31][32]

    The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the state legislature is legally required to pass a balanced budget.[31]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in Ohio state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Ohio House of Representatives has 21 standing committees:

    See also

    Elections Ohio State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    Ohio State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Ohio House of Representatives, "Majority Leadership," accessed February 11, 2014
    2. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
    3. ↑ Statehouse News, "Federal court intervenes in Ohio redistricting, orders state to implement unconstitutional district maps," May 27, 2022
    4. ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Directive 2022-34," accessed May 28, 2022
    5. ↑ Follow the Money, "Ohio House of Representatives 2012 Campaign Contributions," accessed February 11, 2014
    6. ↑ Follow the Money, "Ohio House of Representatives 2010 Campaign Contributions," accessed February 11, 2014
    7. ↑ Follow the Money, "Ohio House of Representatives 2008 Campaign Contributions"
    8. ↑ Follow the Money, "Ohio House of Representatives 2006 Campaign Contributions," accessed February 11, 2014
    9. ↑ Follow the Money, "Ohio House of Representatives 2004 Campaign Contributions," accessed February 11, 2014
    10. ↑ Follow the Money, "Ohio House of Representatives 2002 Campaign Contributions," accessed February 11, 2014
    11. ↑ Follow the Money, "Ohio House of Representatives 2000 Campaign Contributions," accessed February 11, 2014
    12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named limits
    13. ↑ Ohio Constitution, "Article II, Section 11: Filling vacancy in house or senate seat," accessed February 2, 2023
    14. ↑ Spectrum News 1, "Ohio sets date for 1st redistricting commission meeting," August 2, 2021
    15. ↑ Dayton Daily News, "Legislators likely to miss deadline for new congressional map," September 25, 2021
    16. ↑ Marietta Times, "Redistricting commission starts work under rushed deadline," August 10, 2021
    17. ↑ Examiner.com, "4 of 5 big Ohio cities, counties lose people, Whites still dominate, Census says," March 10, 2011
    18. ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Reapportionment: Maps tilt Ohio more to GOP," September 24, 2011
    19. ↑ Daily Jeffersonian, "No Ohio Redistricting Decision Before Election," February 19, 2012
    20. ↑ Multistate, "2020 Legislative Session Dates," accessed March 20, 2020
    21. ↑ The Ohio Legislature, "Session Schedule," accessed April 28, 2020
    22. ↑ News-Herald, "Anti-abortion bills, medical pot on Ohio lawmakers’ 2016 agenda," accessed January 6, 2016
    23. ↑ Cleveland.com, "Fireworks bill extinguished on last day of Ohio legislative session," accessed January 5, 2016
    24. ↑ www.stowsentry.com, "Minimum wage, Medicaid among priorities for Ohio Senate Democrats," January 21, 2015
    25. ↑ www.cleveland.com, "Ohio lawmakers' 2014 agenda includes budget changes, tax overhauls," accessed January 10, 2014
    26. ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Ohio Senate’s new leader brings aggressive style," January 6, 2013
    27. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
    28. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 19, 2014(Archived)
    29. ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    30. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Veto Process," accessed June 22, 2017
    31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
    32. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
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