22.2 Primary & General Elections

In Ohio, candidates for many local government positions, including partisan offices, typically run in both primary and general elections. For partisan positions like County Commissioners, Sheriffs, Prosecutors, Treasurers, Auditors, Clerks of Courts, Recorders, Engineers, and Coroners, candidates participate in primary elections to secure their party’s nomination. These primary elections are held in spring, where candidates from the same political party compete. The winners of the primary elections then advance to the general election in the fall, where they compete against candidates from other parties.

For nonpartisan positions, such as school board members, township trustees, and some city and village officials, there are usually no primary elections. Instead, all candidates appear directly on the ballot in the general election. However, some municipalities may have different rules based on their charters or specific regulations, so it is always important to check with the local board of elections for specific procedures.

For example, Cleveland and Cincinnati employ a two-round system for mayoral elections. In this system, if no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary election, the top two candidates advance to a general election runoff. This ensures that the elected mayor has broader support among the electorate.