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hb950_00_IN
As Introduced
136th
General Assembly
Regular
Session
H. B. No. 950
2025-2026
Representative Fischer
To
amend sections 3513.07 and 3513.261 and to repeal section 3505.02 of
the Revised Code
to
require space on declarations of candidacy and petition forms for
former names, and to remove the requirement that former names appear
on the ballot.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section
1.
That
sections 3513.07 and 3513.261 of the Revised Code be amended to read
as follows:
Sec.
3513.07.
The
form of declaration of candidacy and petition of a person desiring to
be a candidate for a party nomination or a candidate for election to
an office or position to be voted for at a primary election shall be
substantially as follows:
"DECLARATION
OF CANDIDACY PARTY PRIMARY ELECTION
I,
___________________________ (Name of Candidate
and any previous names used by Candidate in the last five years as
required under R.C. 3513.06 or 3513.271
),
the undersigned, hereby declare under penalty of election
falsification that my voting residence is in _______________ precinct
of the _____________________________ (Township) or (Ward and City or
Village) in the county of ________________, Ohio; that my voting
residence is _______________ (Street and Number, if any, or Rural
Route and Number) of the _____________________________ (City or
Village) of _________________, Ohio; and that I am a qualified
elector in the precinct in which my voting residence is located. I am
a member of the ________ Party. I hereby declare that I desire to be
____________________ (a candidate for nomination as a candidate of
the Party for election to the office of _____________) (a candidate
for election to the office or position of ______________) for the
____________ in the state, district, (Full term or unexpired term
ending _______________) county, city, or village of
___________________, at the primary election to be held on the
_____________ day of _________, ____, and I hereby request that my
name be printed upon the official primary election ballot of the said
__________ Party as a candidate for _________ (such nomination) or
(such election) as provided by law.
I
further declare that, if elected to said office or position, I will
qualify therefor, and that I will support and abide by the principles
enunciated by the ____________ Party.
Dated
this __________ day of _________________, _________
__________________________________
(Signature
of candidate)
WHOEVER
COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH
DEGREE.
PETITION
OF CANDIDATE
We,
the undersigned, qualified electors of the state of Ohio, whose
voting residence is in the county, city, village, ward, township, or
school district, and precinct set opposite our names, and members of
the _______________________________________ Party, hereby certify
that ____________________________ (Name of candidate) whose
declaration of candidacy is filed herewith, is a member of the
____________ Party, and is, in our opinion, well qualified to perform
the duties of the office or position to which that candidate desires
to be elected.
Street
City,
and
Village
or
Signature
Number
Township
Ward
Precinct
County
Date
(Must
use address on file with the board of elections)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-
_______________________________________
(Name of circulator of petition), declares under penalty of election
falsification that the circulator of the petition is a qualified
elector of the state of Ohio and resides at the address appearing
below the signature of that circulator; that the circulator is a
member of the ___________ Party; that the circulator is the
circulator of the foregoing petition paper containing _____________
(Number) signatures; that the circulator witnessed the affixing of
every signature; that all signers were to the best of the
circulator's knowledge and belief qualified to sign; and that every
signature is to the best of the circulator's knowledge and belief the
signature of the person whose signature it purports to be or of an
attorney in fact acting pursuant to section 3501.382 of the Revised
Code.
_____________________________
(Signature
of circulator)
____________________________
(Address
of circulator's
permanent
residence
in
this
state)
_________________________
(If
petition is for a
statewide
candidate,
the
name
and address of person
employing
to
circulate
petition,
if any)
WHOEVER
COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH
DEGREE."
The
secretary of state shall prescribe a form of declaration of candidacy
and petition, and the form shall be substantially similar to the
declaration of candidacy and petition set forth in this section, that
will be suitable for joint candidates for the offices of governor and
lieutenant governor.
The
petition provided for in this section shall be circulated only by a
member of the same political party as the candidate.
Sec.
3513.261.
A
nominating petition may consist of one or more separate petition
papers, each of which shall be substantially in the form prescribed
in this section. If the petition consists of more than one separate
petition paper, the statement of candidacy of the candidate or joint
candidates named need be signed by the candidate or joint candidates
on only one of such separate petition papers, but the statement of
candidacy so signed shall be copied on each other separate petition
paper before the signatures of electors are placed on it. Each
nominating petition containing signatures of electors of more than
one county shall consist of separate petition papers each of which
shall contain signatures of electors of only one county; provided
that petitions containing signatures of electors of more than one
county shall not thereby be declared invalid. In case petitions
containing signatures of electors of more than one county are filed,
the board of elections shall determine the county from which the
majority of the signatures came, and only signatures from this county
shall be counted. Signatures from any other county shall be invalid.
All
signatures on nominating petitions shall be written in ink or
indelible pencil.
At
the time of filing a nominating petition, the candidate designated in
the nominating petition, and joint candidates for governor and
lieutenant governor, shall pay to the election officials with whom it
is filed the fees specified for the office under divisions (A) and
(B) of section 3513.10 of the Revised Code. The fees shall be
disposed of by those election officials in the manner that is
provided in section 3513.10 of the Revised Code for the disposition
of other fees, and in no case shall a fee required under that section
be returned to a candidate.
Candidates
or joint candidates whose names are written on the ballot, and who
are elected, shall pay the same fees under section 3513.10 of the
Revised Code that candidates who file nominating petitions pay.
Payment of these fees shall be a condition precedent to the granting
of their certificates of election.
Each
nominating petition shall contain a statement of candidacy that shall
be signed by the candidate or joint candidates named in it or by an
attorney in fact acting pursuant to section 3501.382 of the Revised
Code. Such statement of candidacy shall contain a declaration made
under penalty of election falsification that the candidate desires to
be a candidate for the office named in it, and that the candidate is
an elector qualified to vote for the office the candidate seeks.
The
form of the nominating petition and statement of candidacy shall be
substantially as follows:
"STATEMENT
OF CANDIDACY
I,
___________________________________ (Name of candidate
and any previous names used by Candidate in the last five years as
required under R.C. 3513.06 or 3513.271
),
the undersigned, hereby declare under penalty of election
falsification that my voting residence is in ________________
__________ Precinct of the _________________________ (Township) or
(Ward and City, or Village) in the county of _______________ Ohio;
that my post-office address is ____________________________ (Street
and Number, if any, or Rural Route and Number) of the
_______________________________ (City, Village, or post office) of
____________________, Ohio; and that I am a qualified elector in the
precinct in which my voting residence is located. I hereby declare
that I desire to be a candidate for election to the office of
______________ in the ________________________ (State, District,
County, City, Village, Township, or School District) for the
______________________________________ (Full term or unexpired term
ending ________________) at the General Election to be held on the
___________ day of ___________, ____
I
further declare that I am an elector qualified to vote for the office
I seek. Dated this _______ day of ______________, ____
___________________________
(Signature
of candidate)
WHOEVER
COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH
DEGREE.
I,
_________________________________, hereby constitute the persons
named below a committee to represent me:
Name
Residence
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
NOMINATING
PETITION
We,
the undersigned, qualified electors of the state of Ohio, whose
voting residence is in the County, City, Village, Ward, Township or
Precinct set opposite our names, hereby nominate ____________________
as a candidate for election to the office of
___________________________ in the ____________________________
(State, District, County, City, Village, Township, or School
District) for the _________________ (Full term or unexpired term
ending ___________________) to be voted for at the general election
next hereafter to be held, and certify that this person is, in our
opinion, well qualified to perform the duties of the office or
position to which the person desires to be elected.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
A
Street
B
Address
C
or
R.F.D.
D
(Must
use
E
address
on
City,
F
file
with
Village
G
the
board of
or
Date
of
H
Signature
elections)
Township
Ward
Precinct
County
Signing
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________,
declares under penalty of election falsification that such person is
a qualified elector of the state of Ohio and resides at the address
appearing below such person's signature hereto; that such person is
the circulator of the foregoing petition paper containing
________________ signatures; that such person witnessed the affixing
of every signature; that all signers were to the best of such
person's knowledge and belief qualified to sign; and that every
signature is to the best of such person's knowledge and belief the
signature of the person whose signature it purports to be or of an
attorney in fact acting pursuant to section 3501.382 of the Revised
Code.
___________________________
(Signature
of circulator)
___________________________
(Address
of circulator's
permanent
residence
in
this state)
___________________________
(If
petition is for a statewide
candidate,
the name and address
of
person employing circulator
to
circulate petition, if any)
WHOEVER
COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH
DEGREE."
The
secretary of state shall prescribe a form of nominating petition for
a group of candidates for the office of member of a board of
education, township office, and offices of municipal corporations of
under two thousand population.
The
secretary of state shall prescribe a form of statement of candidacy
and nominating petition, which shall be substantially similar to the
form of statement of candidacy and nominating petition set forth in
this section, that will be suitable for joint candidates for the
offices of governor and lieutenant governor.
If
such petition nominates a candidate whose election is to be
determined by the electors of a county or a district or subdivision
within the county, it shall be filed with the board of such county.
If the petition nominates a candidate whose election is to be
determined by the voters of a subdivision located in more than one
county, it shall be filed with the board of the county in which the
major portion of the population of such subdivision is located.
If
the petition nominates a candidate whose election is to be determined
by the electors of a district comprised of more than one county but
less than all of the counties of the state, it shall be filed with
the board of elections of the most populous county in such district.
If the petition nominates a candidate whose election is to be
determined by the electors of the state at large, it shall be filed
with the secretary of state.
The
secretary of state or a board of elections shall not accept for
filing a nominating petition of a person seeking to become a
candidate if that person, for the same election, has already filed a
declaration of candidacy, a declaration of intent to be a write-in
candidate, or a nominating petition, or has become a candidate
through party nomination at a primary election or by the filling of a
vacancy under section 3513.30 or 3513.31 of the Revised Code for any
federal, state, or county office, if the nominating petition is for a
state or county office, or for any municipal or township office, for
member of a city, local, or exempted village board of education, or
for member of a governing board of an educational service center, if
the nominating petition is for a municipal or township office, or for
member of a city, local, or exempted village board of education, or
for member of a governing board of an educational service center.
Section
2.
That
existing sections 3513.07 and 3513.261 of the Revised Code are hereby
repealed.
Section
3.
That
section 3505.02 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.