COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court denied a motion Thursday to change Ohio’s May 3 primary to June 28.
Two Democratic members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission, Ohio Rep. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, and State Sen. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, submitted the motion.
Russo and Sykes claimed in their motion that moving the primary date would give election officials sufficient time to prepare for the 2022 primary.
The motion was made as the Ohio Redistricting Commission is in the midst of drawing General Assembly districts for a fourth time. Meanwhile, it previously approved a third set of congressional boundaries, but the map still faces legal challenges.
The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected three previous sets of General Assembly boundaries and two previous congressional maps.
The May 3 primary was set to include statewide races in addition to primaries for the General Assembly and U.S. House and Senate.
On Wednesday, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose instructed county boards of elections to prepare for the General Assembly primaries to be separate from the May 3 primary.
Other primary contests, including the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races, will remain on the May 3 ballot for now, LaRose said. He also said the congressional primary will also remain May 3.