The 2020 election is less than one year away. Between now and then are many significant dates and deadlines that candidates and voters need to know.
The Ohio Star reported Trump Victory kicked off their “National Week of Action,” knocking doors and engaging voters all across the state. They have planned over 100 events for the week, recognizing that key deadlines are fast approaching.
In addition to general election on November 3, 2020, Ohio’s primary is March 17, 2020. Ohio has an open primary, which means voters – regardless of their political affiliation – can choose to vote for either the Democratic or the Republican candidates, but not both. A third option is to vote on issues only. Ohioans may vote for only one party’s candidates, and will be registered as that party with the Board of Elections until the next primary.
December 18, 2019 is the filing deadline for all candidates for Ohio’s sixteen Congressional races, 99 House of Representatives’ seats, the even-numbered districts in the Ohio Senate, and the Presidential race. The date is also the first opportunity for absentee ballots applications to be accepted for the March 17th primary, and it is the deadline for constitutional amendments that want to be considered for a vote the general election.
Other key absentee ballot dates are March 16th and November 2nd. Those are the dates by which Ohio requires completed absentee ballots to be postmarked in order to be counted in the primary and general elections.
Two more dates that Ohio Republicans and Democrats alike are keeping an eye on are February 18, 2020, and October 5, 2020. Those dates are the voter registration deadlines for the primary election and the general, respectively.
Early voting begins 29 days before an election. For the 2020 primary election, that’s February 19, 2020 and October 6, 2020 for the general.
For more details or to read the requirements to file as a candidate for office, visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.
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Beth Lear is a reporter at The Ohio Star. Follow Beth on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Donald Trump” by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. CC BY 2.0.
