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Ohio House of Representatives District 54
| Ohio House of Representatives District 54 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Paul Zeltwanger  | |
| Population | 114,483 | |
| Ethnicity | 9.38% Black (Voting-Age), 4.38% Hispanic (Voting-Age)[1] | |
| Voting age | 75.58% age 18 and over | |
Ohio's fifty-fourth state house district is represented by Republican Representative Paul Zeltwanger.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 114,483 civilians reside within Ohio's fifty-fourth state house district.[2] Ohio state representatives represent an average of 116,530 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[3] After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 116,530 residents.[4]
About the office
Members of the Ohio House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits.[5] Representatives may serve no more than four consecutive terms. Ohio legislators assume office the first day of January after a general election.[6][7]
Qualifications
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."[8]
Article 15, Section 4 of the Ohio Constitution states: "No person shall be elected or appointed to any office in this state unless possessed of the qualifications of an elector."[9]
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."[10]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[11] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $71,099/year | No per diem is paid. |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Ohio legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Ohio Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative limited Ohio representatives to 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
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]
See sources: Ohio Const. Art. 2, Sec. 11
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 54
Incumbent Paul Zeltwanger defeated Nikki Foster in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 54 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Paul Zeltwanger (R) | 60.7 | 29,316 |
 | Nikki Foster (D) | 39.3 | 18,994 | |
| Total votes: 48,310 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 54
Nikki Foster advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 54 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nikki Foster | 100.0 | 2,908 |
| Total votes: 2,908 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 54
Incumbent Paul Zeltwanger advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 54 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Paul Zeltwanger | 100.0 | 6,660 |
| Total votes: 6,660 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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.
Incumbent Paul Zeltwanger defeated Rick Smith in the Ohio House of Representatives District 54 general election.[14]
| Ohio House of Representatives, District 54 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Paul Zeltwanger Incumbent |
68.09% | 37,498 | |
| Democratic | Rick Smith | 31.91% | 17,571 | |
| Total Votes | 55,069 | |||
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State | ||||
Rick Smith ran unopposed in the Ohio House of Representatives District 54 Democratic primary.[15][16]
| Ohio House of Representatives District 54, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Rick Smith (unopposed) |
100.00% | 4,981 | |
| Total Votes | 4,981 | |||
Incumbent Paul Zeltwanger ran unopposed in the Ohio House of Representatives District 54 Republican primary.[15][16]
| Ohio House of Representatives District 54, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Paul Zeltwanger Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 17,155 | |
| Total Votes | 17,155 | |||
2014
Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 5, 2014. Rick Smith was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Paul Zeltwanger defeated incumbent Peter Beck and Mary Jo Kubicki in the Republican primary. Zeltwanger defeated Smith in the general election.[17]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Zeltwanger |
71.6% | 20,043 | |
| Democratic | Rick Smith | 28.4% | 7,937 | |
| Total Votes | 27,980 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Paul Zeltwanger |
50.9% | 3,861 |
| Peter Beck Incumbent | 39.9% | 3,029 |
| Mary Jo Kubicki | 9.2% | 701 |
| Total Votes | 7,591 | |
2012
Elections for the office of Ohio House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 6, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 7, 2011. Incumbent Peter Beck (R) was unopposed in both the general election and Republican primary.[18][19]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Peter Beck Incumbent |
100% | 38,942 | |
| Total Votes | 38,942 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Ohio House of Representatives District 54 raised a total of $837,445. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $32,209 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, Ohio House of Representatives District 54 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2016 | $−10,976 | 2 | $−5,488 | |
| 2014 | $195,686 | 4 | $48,922 | |
| 2012 | $114,526 | 2 | $57,263 | |
| 2010 | $127,409 | 3 | $42,470 | |
| 2008 | $33,632 | 3 | $11,211 | |
| 2006 | $30,890 | 2 | $15,445 | |
| 2004 | $50,860 | 1 | $50,860 | |
| 2002 | $209,090 | 2 | $104,545 | |
| 2000 | $86,328 | 7 | $12,333 | |
| Total | $837,445 | 26 | $32,209 | |
See also
- Ohio General Assembly
- Ohio State Senate
- Ohio House of Representatives
- Ohio state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ For more information on the parameters the U.S. Census Bureau use, please see our Race and Ethnicity on the United States Census page.
- ↑ www.publicmapping.org/ "Ohio 2010 Census Selected Statistics," accessed October 25, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ www.census.gov/, "Population in 2000 of the American states," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ termlimits.org, "List of state legislative term limits," accessed December 18, 2013
- ↑ Ohio Constitution, "Article 2, Section 02," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ [https://www.lsc.ohio.gov/documents/reference/current/guidebook/17/Guidebook.pdf Ohio.gov, "A Guidebook for Ohio Legislators," accessed November 1, 2021]
- ↑ Ohio Constitution, "Article II, Section 3: Residence requirements for state legislators," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ Ohio Constitution, "Article XV, Section 4: Officers to be qualified electors," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ Ohio Constitution, "Article II, Section 5: Who shall not hold office," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Chart of states with term limits," accessed February 16, 2021
- ↑ Ohio Constitution, "Article II, Section 11: Filling vacancy in house or senate seat," accessed February 2, 2023
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official election results," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Ohio Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing By Office," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ohio Secretary of State, "2016 Official Elections Results," accessed August 29, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official primary election results for May 6, 2014," accessed July 3, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official 2012 General Election Results,” accessed October 25, 2013
- ↑ Ohio Chamber of Commerce, "2012 General Assembly Primary Candidates," January 17, 2012
