MANSFIELD — It’s Primary Election Day in Richland County, Part 2.
Thanks to the inability of Ohio’s state’s elected leaders to agree during a contentious redistricting effort earlier this year, a second primary had to be scheduled.
That day is today, Aug. 2, though there are few things on the ballot in Richland County. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The first Ohio primary in 2022 was May 3 when 24 percent of registered voters in Richland County participated with 19,546 residents casting ballots out of 81,6163 registered.
For today’s election only, some polling places have been consolidated due to local voter turnout percentage expected in single digits, according to Matt Finfgeld, director of the Richland County Board of Elections.
To check on your voting location, visit the Richland County Board of Elections website and click on “Am I registered?” Enter your last name and first name and tap submit. Your voting information will be on that screen.
The election today is for the Ohio House of Representatives, the Ohio Senate, the Democrat State Central Committee and the Republican State Central Committee.
Today’s election is also to include any local issues that may have been scheduled, though there are none on those on the ballot today in Richland County.
There is no state Senate race on today’s ballot in Richland County since Sen. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) is not up for re-election until 2024.
Rep. Marilyn John (R-Shelby) is running unopposed today in the primary for the Ohio House’s 76th District. No Democrats filed to run for the office.
There are races for men and women in the Democratic State Central Committee and Republican State Central State Committee, both representing the 22nd Senate District. They are basically the board of directors for the two parties.
The committees are established by Ohio Revised Code 3517.03, which states, “The controlling committees of each major political party or organization shall be a state central committee consisting of two members, one a man and one a woman, representing either each congressional district in the state or each senatorial district in the state, as the outgoing committee determines.”
In the Democratic race, the men’s race is between Medina City Council President Nicholas J. Hanek and John Welker Jr., the current chair of the Brunswick Democratic Club.
The Democratic women’s race is between Medina City Council member Jess Hazeltine and Paula Watson, chair of the Ashland County Democratic Party.
In the Republican women’s race, Zoi Romanchuk, president of the Richland County Republican Women, is the only active candidate on the ballot. Patricia Geissman of Medina County is on the ballot, but has withdrawn from the race and any votes for her will not count.
In the GOP men’s race, there are four candidates: former Medina County Republican Party Chair Bill Heck, Ashland County resident Paul Lannon and Dakota Thomas and James Blake, both from Medina County.
