COLUMBUS, Ohio — State lawmakers are considering changes to how future primaries could work in the Buckeye State. Various bills are going through the committee process, trying to bring an end to Ohio’s open primary system. This system allows voters to determine at the polls which party's ballot they want to use to vote.

What You Need To Know

  • An open primary election lets people head to the polls on election day and declare their political affiliation 

  • A closed primary would require constituents decide ahead of time what political party they want to affiliate themselves with

  • Multiple bills at the Statehouse are looking at the closed primary system for the state of Ohio

There are multiple bills introduced at the Statehouse that would force that decision to be made up to three months ahead of time. 

For decades, primaries have given voters in each political party a chance to choose a candidate they want to represent their party in a general election. But, there is a concern that some voters are using the primaries in a different way. State Rep. Thomas Hall is among several lawmakers looking to get rid of open primaries in the state. He is sponsoring legislation that would require people to choose their political party affiliation at least 30 days ahead of a primary election cycle. 

"There was a few examples this week from southwest Ohio that people had thought that or felt like that there was a huge push in the primary to make sure one candidate did or did not get elected during that primary process," said State Rep. Thomas Hall, R-District 46. "For the purpose of making sure that we have really secure elections and deterring that crossover voting that we have heard from and that we've seen in some situations.” 

"Every time a change is made and may be a good change," said Jeff Rezabek, director of the Montgomery County Board of Elections. "But, that really does affect maybe 15 things down the line. We just have to make sure that we're making sure we're doing the right thing on each of those changes so that it actually does what the public wants us to do." 

New York, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wyoming are operating with closed primaries. 

"I think any time you have obstacles like registering for the political party and an affidavit process, it's just enough more complicated that some people will just choose not to participate," said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio.

"It's so predictable that whoever wins the primary election is going to go on and just automatically win the general election," said Nazek Hapasha, policy affairs manager for the League of Women Voters of Ohio. "So, the primary election is extremely important, and taking away a voter's ability to vote in the primary election according to their values at that day in time really restricts their freedom." 

The bills heading through the Ohio legislature would still give voters who do not choose a political party a chance to vote on issues, but not candidates in the primary election.

While the three bills that are being pushed at the Statehouse all vary in a number of ways, sponsors have indicated that they are willing to work together through the committee process and then push a single bill to deal with the closed primaries in Ohio.