Voters across Ohio face some big decisions in the March primary. Both parties will select their candidates for president and one of Ohio's U.S. Senate seats. There are state legislative primaries and ballot questions as well. And while there are primaries in all 15 Congressional Districts in the state, the ballot in Ohio’s 6th District will have something extra.
Voters in the 6th will be asked to make two decisions when it comes to their party’s nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives for the district. In addition to the candidate they want to run in the general election, they're also being asked to pick the candidate for a June special election to fill the district's vacant seat. Former U.S. Representative Bill Johnson stepped down in January to become the President of Youngstown State University.
Johnson, a Republican, was first elected to the seat in 2010, defeating Democrat incumbent Charlie Wilson. The winner of the election will serve the rest of the current term, until January 2025.
Something similar occurred in Ohio’s 12th District in 2018 when former U.S. Representative Pat Tiberi resigned to become President and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable. Republican Troy Balderson won both elections and remains the 12th District Representative.
The 6th District stretches from Youngstown to Marietta. It covers the entirety of Mahoning, Carroll and Columbiana counties as well as parts of Stark and Tuscarawas. Of the more than 500,000 registered voters in the district, about 19% are Republican, and 13% are registered as Democrats, according to an Ideastream Public Media analysis of Ohio Secretary of State records.
This year's contest marks the first time since 2006 that the district has been without an incumbent. Ohio Senator Michael Rulli, Ohio Representative Reggie Stoltzfus and East Palestine chiropractor Rick Tsai are on the Republican ballot. Rylan Finzer of Bedford Heights and Michael Kripchak of Youngstown are on the Democratic ballot.
Here are key dates to keep in mind for the 2024 Ohio Primary:
- Feb. 2: Military and overseas absentee voting begins
- Feb. 20: The deadline to register to vote in the primary
- Feb. 21: Absentee voting by mail begins
- Feb. 21: Early in-person voting begins. Dates and hours are available here.
- March 18: Ballots sent by mail must be postmarked by this date. Otherwise, ballots must be turned in to your county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on primary day
- March 19: Primary Day. Polls are open 6:30 a.m. and close 7:30 p.m.
The special election in the Ohio's 6th Congressional District is June 11.
