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As Introduced
136th
General Assembly
Regular
Session
S. B. No. 107
2025-2026
Senator Brenner
Cosponsors: Senators Cirino, Lang,
Wilkin, O'Brien
A
BILL
To
amend sections 3501.01, 3505.03, 3505.04, 3513.254, 3513.255,
3513.256, and 3513.259 of the Revised Code
to
require state and school district board members to appear on the
ballot with a party designation.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section
1.
That
sections 3501.01, 3505.03, 3505.04, 3513.254, 3513.255, 3513.256, and
3513.259 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:
Sec.
3501.01.
As
used in the sections of the Revised Code relating to elections and
political communications:
(A)
"General election" means the election held on the first
Tuesday after the first Monday in each November.
(B)
"Regular municipal election" means the election held on the
first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each odd-numbered
year.
(C)
"Regular state election" means the election held on the
first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each
even-numbered year.
(D)
"Special election" means any election other than those
elections defined in other divisions of this section. A special
election may be held only on the first Tuesday after the first Monday
in May or November, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in
August in accordance with section 3501.022 of the Revised Code, or on
the day authorized by a particular municipal or county charter for
the holding of a primary election, except that in any year in which a
presidential primary election is held, no special election shall be
held in May, except as authorized by a municipal or county charter,
but may be held on the third Tuesday after the first Monday in March.
(E)(1)
"Primary" or "primary election" means an election
held for the purpose of nominating persons as candidates of political
parties for election to offices, and for the purpose of electing
persons as members of the controlling committees of political parties
and as delegates and alternates to the conventions of political
parties. Primary elections shall be held on the first Tuesday after
the first Monday in May of each year except in years in which a
presidential primary election is held.
(2)
"Presidential primary election" means a primary election as
defined by division (E)(1) of this section at which an election is
held for the purpose of choosing delegates and alternates to the
national conventions of the major political parties pursuant to
section 3513.12 of the Revised Code. Unless otherwise specified,
presidential primary elections are included in references to primary
elections. In years in which a presidential primary election is held,
all primary elections shall be held on the third Tuesday after the
first Monday in March except as otherwise authorized by a municipal
or county charter.
(F)
"Political party" means any group of voters meeting the
requirements set forth in section 3517.01 of the Revised Code for the
formation and existence of a political party.
(1)
"Major political party" means any political party organized
under the laws of this state whose candidate for governor or nominees
for presidential electors received not less than twenty per cent of
the total vote cast for such office at the most recent regular state
election.
(2)
"Minor political party" means any political party organized
under the laws of this state that meets either of the following
requirements:
(a)
Except as otherwise provided in this division, the political party's
candidate for governor or nominees for presidential electors received
less than twenty per cent but not less than three per cent of the
total vote cast for such office at the most recent regular state
election. A political party that meets the requirements of this
division remains a political party for a period of four years after
meeting those requirements.
(b)
The political party has filed with the secretary of state, subsequent
to its failure to meet the requirements of division (F)(2)(a) of this
section, a petition that meets the requirements of section 3517.01 of
the Revised Code.
A
newly formed political party shall be known as a minor political
party until the time of the first election for governor or president
which occurs not less than twelve months subsequent to the formation
of such party, after which election the status of such party shall be
determined by the vote for the office of governor or president.
(G)
"Dominant party in a precinct" or "dominant political
party in a precinct" means that political party whose candidate
for election to the office of governor at the most recent regular
state election at which a governor was elected received more votes
than any other person received for election to that office in such
precinct at such election.
(H)
"Candidate" means any qualified person certified in
accordance with the provisions of the Revised Code for placement on
the official ballot of a primary, general, or special election to be
held in this state, or any qualified person who claims to be a
write-in candidate, or who knowingly assents to being represented as
a write-in candidate by another at either a primary, general, or
special election to be held in this state.
(I)
"Independent candidate" means any candidate who claims not
to be affiliated with a political party, and whose name has been
certified on the office-type ballot at a general or special election
through the filing of a statement of candidacy and nominating
petition, as prescribed in section 3513.257 of the Revised Code.
(J)
"Nonpartisan candidate" means any candidate whose name is
required, pursuant to section 3505.04 of the Revised Code, to be
listed on the nonpartisan ballot, including all candidates for judge
of a municipal court, county court, or court of common pleas,
for
member of any board of education,
for
municipal or township offices in which primary elections are not held
for nominating candidates by political parties, and for offices of
municipal corporations having charters that provide for separate
ballots for elections for these offices.
(K)
"Party candidate" means any candidate who claims to be a
member of a political party and who has been certified to appear on
the office-type ballot at a general or special election as the
nominee of a political party because the candidate has won the
primary election of the candidate's party for the public office the
candidate seeks, has been nominated under section 3517.012, or is
selected by party committee in accordance with section 3513.31 of the
Revised Code.
(L)
"Officer of a political party" includes, but is not limited
to, any member, elected or appointed, of a controlling committee,
whether representing the territory of the state, a district therein,
a county, township, a city, a ward, a precinct, or other territory,
of a major or minor political party.
(M)
"Question or issue" means any question or issue certified
in accordance with the Revised Code for placement on an official
ballot at a general or special election to be held in this state.
(N)
"Elector" or "qualified elector" means a person
having the qualifications provided by law to be entitled to vote.
(O)
"Voter" means an elector who votes at an election.
(P)
"Voting residence" means that place of residence of an
elector which shall determine the precinct in which the elector may
vote.
(Q)
"Precinct" means a district within a county established by
the board of elections of such county within which all qualified
electors having a voting residence therein may vote at the same
polling place.
(R)
"Polling place" means that place provided for each precinct
at which the electors having a voting residence in such precinct may
vote.
(S)
"Board" or "board of elections" means the board
of elections appointed in a county pursuant to section 3501.06 of the
Revised Code.
(T)
"Political subdivision" means a county, township, city,
village, or school district.
(U)
"Election officer" or "election official" means
any of the following:
(1)
Secretary of state;
(2)
Employees of the secretary of state serving the division of elections
in the capacity of attorney, administrative officer, administrative
assistant, elections administrator, office manager, or clerical
supervisor;
(3)
Director of a board of elections;
(4)
Deputy director of a board of elections;
(5)
Member of a board of elections;
(6)
Employees of a board of elections;
(7)
Precinct election officials;
(8)
Employees appointed by the boards of elections on a temporary or
part-time basis.
(V)
"Acknowledgment notice" means a notice sent by a board of
elections, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, informing
a voter registration applicant or an applicant who wishes to change
the applicant's residence or name of the status of the application;
the information necessary to complete or update the application, if
any; and if the application is complete, the precinct in which the
applicant is to vote.
(W)
"Confirmation notice" means a notice sent by a board of
elections, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, to a
registered elector to confirm the registered elector's current
address.
(X)
"Designated agency" means an office or agency in the state
that provides public assistance or that provides state-funded
programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with
disabilities and that is required by the National Voter Registration
Act of 1993 to implement a program designed and administered by the
secretary of state for registering voters, or any other public or
government office or agency that implements a program designed and
administered by the secretary of state for registering voters,
including the department of job and family services, the program
administered under section 3701.132 of the Revised Code by the
department of health, the department of mental health and addiction
services, the department of developmental disabilities, the
opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities agency, and any other
agency the secretary of state designates. "Designated agency"
does not include public high schools and vocational schools, public
libraries, or the office of a county treasurer.
(Y)
"National Voter Registration Act of 1993" means the
"National Voter Registration Act of 1993," 107 Stat. 77, 42
U.S.C.A. 1973gg.
(Z)
"Voting Rights Act of 1965" means the "Voting Rights
Act of 1965," 79 Stat. 437, 42 U.S.C.A. 1973, as amended.
(AA)(1)
"Photo identification" means one of the following documents
that includes the individual's name and photograph and is not
expired:
(a)
An Ohio driver's license, state identification card, or interim
identification form issued by the registrar of motor vehicles or a
deputy registrar under Chapter 4506. or 4507. of the Revised Code;
(b)
A United States passport or passport card;
(c)
A United States military identification card, Ohio national guard
identification card, or United States department of veterans affairs
identification card.
(2)
A "copy" of an individual's photo identification means
images of both the front and back of a document described in division
(AA)(1) of this section, except that if the document is a United
States passport, a copy of the photo identification means an image of
the passport's identification page that includes the individual's
name, photograph, and other identifying information and the
passport's expiration date.
(BB)
"Driver's license" means a license or permit issued by the
registrar or a deputy registrar under Chapter 4506. or 4507. of the
Revised Code that authorizes an individual to drive. "Driver's
license" includes a driver's license, commercial driver's
license, probationary license, restricted license, motorcycle
operator's license, or temporary instruction permit identification
card. "Driver's license" does not include a limited term
license issued under section 4507.09 of the Revised Code.
(CC)
"State identification card" means a card issued by the
registrar or a deputy registrar under sections 4507.50 to 4507.52 of
the Revised Code.
(DD)
"Interim identification form" means the document issued by
the registrar or a deputy registrar to an applicant for a driver's
license or state identification card that contains all of the
information otherwise found on the license or card and that an
applicant may use as a form of identification until the physical
license or card arrives in the mail.
Sec.
3505.03.
(A)
On the office type ballot shall be printed the names of all
candidates for election to offices, except the office of judge of a
municipal court, county court, or court of common pleas, who were
nominated at the most recent primary election as candidates of a
political party or who were nominated in accordance with section
3513.02 of the Revised Code, and the names of all candidates for
election to offices who were nominated by nominating petitions,
except candidates for the office of judge of a municipal court,
county court, or court of common pleas,
for
member of the state board of education, for member of a board of
education,
for
municipal offices, and for township offices.
(B)
The face of the ballot below the stub shall be substantially in the
following form:
"OFFICIAL
OFFICE TYPE BALLOT
(1)
To vote for a candidate record your vote in the manner provided next
to the name of such candidate.
(2)
If you tear, soil, deface, or erroneously mark this ballot, return it
to the precinct election officers or, if you cannot return it, notify
the precinct election officers, and obtain another ballot."
(C)
The order in which the offices shall be listed on the ballot shall be
prescribed by, and certified to each board of elections by, the
secretary of state; provided that for state, district, and county
offices the order from top to bottom shall be as follows: governor
and lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor of state,
secretary of state, treasurer of state, chief justice of the supreme
court, justice of the supreme court, United States senator,
representative to congress, state senator, state representative,
judge of a court of appeals,
member
of the state board of education, member of a board of education,
county
commissioner, county auditor, prosecuting attorney, clerk of the
court of common pleas, sheriff, county recorder, county treasurer,
county engineer, and coroner. The offices of governor and lieutenant
governor shall be printed on the ballot in a manner that requires a
voter to cast one vote jointly for the candidates who have been
nominated by the same political party or petition.
(D)
Within the rectangular space within which the title of each judicial
office listed in division (C) of this section is printed on the
ballot and immediately below the title shall be printed the date of
the commencement of the term of the office, if it is a full term, as
follows: "Full term commencing _______(Date)_______," or
the date of the end of the term of the office, if it is an unexpired
term, as follows: "Unexpired term ending _______(Date)________"
(E)(1)
The names of all candidates for an office shall be arranged in a
group under the title of that office, and, except for absentee
ballots or when the number of candidates for a particular office is
the same as the number of candidates to be elected for that office,
shall be rotated from one precinct to another. On absentee ballots,
the names of all candidates for an office shall be arranged in a
group under the title of that office and shall be so alternated that
each name shall appear, insofar as may be reasonably possible,
substantially an equal number of times at the beginning, at the end,
and in each intermediate place, if any, of the group in which such
name belongs, unless the number of candidates for a particular office
is the same as the number of candidates to be elected for that
office.
(2)
The
secretary of state shall prescribe the information and directions to
the voter to be printed on the ballot within the rectangular space in
which the title of office of member of the state board of education
appears.
(3)
Within the rectangular space within which the title of each office
for member of a board of education is printed on the ballot shall be
printed "For Member of Board of Education," and the number
to be elected, directions to the voter as to voting for one, two, or
more, and, if the office to be voted for is member of a board of
education of a city school district, words shall be printed in said
space on the ballot to indicate whether candidates are to be elected
from subdistricts or at large.
(4)
The
method of printing the ballots to meet the rotation requirement of
this section shall be as follows: the least common multiple of the
number of names in each of the several groups of candidates shall be
used, and the number of changes made in the printer's forms in
printing the ballots shall correspond with that multiple. The board
of elections shall number all precincts in regular serial sequence.
In the first precinct, the names of the candidates in each group
shall be listed in alphabetical order. In each succeeding precinct,
the name in each group that is listed first in the preceding precinct
shall be listed last, and the name of each candidate shall be moved
up one place. In each precinct using paper ballots, the printed
ballots shall then be assembled in tablets.
(F)
Under the name of each candidate nominated at a primary election,
nominated
by petition under section 3513.254, 3513.255, or 3513.259 of the
Revised Code,
nominated
by petition under section 3517.012 of the Revised Code, or certified
by a party committee to fill a vacancy under section 3513.31 of the
Revised Code shall be printed, in less prominent type face than that
in which the candidate's name is printed, the name of the political
party by which the candidate was nominated or certified. Under the
name of each candidate appearing on the ballot who filed a nominating
petition and requested a ballot designation as a nonparty candidate
under section 3513.257 of the Revised Code shall be printed, in less
prominent type face than that in which the candidate's name is
printed, the designation of "nonparty candidate." Under the
name of each candidate appearing on the ballot who filed a nominating
petition and requested a ballot designation as an other-party
candidate under section 3513.257 of the Revised Code shall be
printed, in less prominent type face than that in which the
candidate's name is printed, the designation of "other-party
candidate." No designation shall appear under the name of a
candidate appearing on the ballot who filed a nominating petition and
requested that no ballot designation appear under the candidate's
name under section 3513.257 of the Revised Code, or who filed a
nominating petition and failed to request a ballot designation either
as a nonparty candidate or as an other-party candidate under that
section.
(G)
Except as provided in this section, no words, designations, or
emblems descriptive of a candidate or the candidate's political
affiliation, or indicative of the method by which the candidate was
nominated or certified, shall be printed under or after a candidate's
name that is printed on the ballot.
Sec.
3505.04.
On
the nonpartisan ballot shall be printed the names of all nonpartisan
candidates for election to the office of judge of a municipal court,
county court, or court of common pleas,
the
office of member of the state board of education, the office of
member of a board of education,
municipal
or township offices for municipal corporations and townships in which
primary elections are not held for nomination of candidates by
political parties, and municipal offices of municipal corporations
having charters which provide for separate ballots for elections for
such municipal offices.
Such
ballots shall have printed across the top, and below the stubs,
"Official Nonpartisan Ballot."
The
order in which the offices are listed on the ballot shall be
prescribed by, and certified to each board of elections by, the
secretary of state; provided that
the
office of member of the state board of education shall be listed
first on the ballot, then
county
judicial offices
shall be listed first on the ballot
,
followed by municipal and township offices
,
and by offices of member of a board of education,
in the order stated.
Within
the rectangular space within which the title of each judicial office
is printed on the ballot and immediately below such title shall be
printed the date of the commencement of the term of the office, if a
full term, as follows: "Full term commencing
_______(Date)_______," or the date of the end of the term of the
office, if an unexpired term, as follows: "Unexpired term ending
_______(Date)________"
The
secretary of state shall prescribe the information and directions to
the voter to be printed on the ballot within the rectangular space in
which the title of office of member of the state board of education
appears.
Within
the rectangular space within which the title of each office for
member of a board of education is printed on the ballot shall be
printed "For Member of Board of Education," and the number
to be elected, directions to the voter as to voting for one, two, or
more, and, if the office to be voted for is member of a board of
education of a city school district, words shall be printed in said
space on the ballot to indicate whether candidates are to be elected
from subdistricts or at large.
The
names of all nonpartisan candidates for an office shall be arranged
in a group under the title of that office, and shall be rotated and
printed on the ballot as provided in section 3505.03 of the Revised
Code.
No
name or designation of any political party nor any words,
designations, or emblems descriptive of a candidate or the
candidate's political affiliation, or indicative of the method by
which such candidate was nominated or certified, shall be printed
under or after any nonpartisan candidate's name which is printed on
the ballot.
Sec.
3513.254.
(A)
The name of each candidate for member of a city, local, or exempted
village board of education shall appear on the
nonpartisan
office
type
ballot.
Nominating petitions of candidates for member of a board of education
of a local or exempted village school district shall be signed by
twenty-five qualified electors of the school district. Nominating
petitions for candidates for member of a board of education of a city
school district having a population of less than twenty thousand, as
ascertained by the next preceding federal census, shall be signed by
twenty-five qualified electors of the school district. Nominating
petitions for candidates for member of a board of education of a city
school district having a population of twenty thousand or more but
less than fifty thousand, as ascertained by the next preceding
federal census, shall be signed by seventy-five qualified electors of
the school district. Nominating petitions for candidates for member
of a board of education of a city school district having a population
of fifty thousand or more but less than one hundred thousand, as
ascertained by the next preceding federal census, shall be signed by
one hundred fifty qualified electors of the school district.
Nominating petitions for candidates for member of a board of
education of a city school district having a population of one
hundred thousand or more, as ascertained by the next preceding
federal census, shall be signed by three hundred qualified electors
of the school district.
(B)
A
candidate who files a nominating petition shall indicate on the
nominating petition the political party designation to appear on the
ballot next to the candidate's name. A candidate may request, at the
time of filing, that the candidate be designated on the ballot as a
nonparty candidate or as an other-party candidate, or may request
that the candidate's name be placed on the ballot without any
designation. Any such candidate who fails to request a designation
either as a nonparty candidate or as an other-party candidate shall
have the candidate's name placed on the ballot without any
designation.
(C)
Nominating
petitions shall be filed with the board of elections not later than
four p.m. of the ninetieth day before the day of the general
election, provided that no such petition shall be accepted for filing
if it appears to contain signatures aggregating in number more than
three times the minimum number of signatures required by this
section. A board of elections shall not accept for filing a
nominating petition of a person 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 other position as a member of a city, local,
or exempted village board of education or position as a member of a
governing board of an educational service center, or for a municipal
or township office. When a petition of a candidate has been accepted
for filing by a board of elections, the petition shall not be deemed
invalid if, upon verification of signatures contained in the
petition, the board of elections finds the number of signatures
accepted exceeds three times the minimum number of signatures
required. A board of elections may discontinue verifying petitions
when the number of verified signatures equals the minimum required
number of qualified signatures.
(C)
(D)
This section is subject to section 3513.256 of the Revised Code.
Sec.
3513.255.
(A)
This
section is subject to section 3513.256 of the Revised Code. The name
of each candidate for election as a member of a governing board of an
educational service center shall appear on the
nonpartisan
office
type
ballot.
Each nominating petition shall be signed by fifty qualified electors
who reside in one of the following, as applicable:
(A)
(1)
The school districts over which the educational service center
governing board has jurisdiction, in the case of any candidate
running for a position on any educational service center governing
board other than a governing board established in accordance with
section 3311.054 of the Revised Code;
(B)
(2)
The subdistrict in which the candidate is running, in the case of a
position on a governing board of an educational service center
established in accordance with section 3311.054 of the Revised Code.
(B)
Each
nominating petition shall be filed with the board of elections of the
county in which the central administrative offices of the educational
service center governing board are located not later than four p.m.
of the ninetieth day before the day of the general election, provided
that no such petition shall be accepted for filing if it appears to
contain signatures aggregating in number more than three times the
minimum number of signatures required by this section.
(C)
A
board of elections shall not accept for filing a nominating petition
of a person 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
other position as a member of a governing board of an educational
service center or position as a member of a city, local, or exempted
village board of education, or for a municipal or township office.
(D)
A candidate who files a nominating petition shall indicate on the
nominating petition the political party designation to appear on the
ballot next to the candidate's name. A candidate may request, at the
time of filing, that the candidate be designated on the ballot as a
nonparty candidate or as an other-party candidate, or may request
that the candidate's name be placed on the ballot without any
designation. Any such candidate who fails to request a designation
either as a nonparty candidate or as an other-party candidate shall
have the candidate's name placed on the ballot without any
designation.
(E)
When
a petition of a candidate has been accepted for filing by a board of
elections, the petition shall not be deemed invalid if, upon
verification of signatures contained in the petition, the board of
elections finds the number of signatures accepted exceeds three times
the minimum signatures required. A board of elections may discontinue
verifying petitions when the number of verified signatures equals the
minimum required number of qualified signatures.
Sec.
3513.256.
(A)
Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the contrary,
for the purpose of nominating candidates for a position as a member
of the board of education of a city, local, or exempted village
school district or a position as a member of a governing board of an
educational service center, the board may adopt, by resolution upon a
three-fifths majority vote of its total membership, procedures for a
nonpartisan primary election. Such procedures shall specify the
following:
(1)
That the primary election for nominating candidates for a position as
a member of that board shall be held on the same day as the primary
election for nominating all other candidates for public office in
that year;
(2)
That nominating petitions shall be filed with the board of elections
not later than four p.m. of the ninetieth day before the day of the
primary election;
(3)
That the primary election shall take place only if the number of
candidates for nomination for a position on that board, as verified
by the board of elections, is at least one more than two times the
number of available positions on that board at the general election;
(4)
That the number of candidates advancing from the primary election to
the general election shall equal two times the number of available
positions on that board at the general election
;
(5)
That the nominating petition shall indicate the political party
designation to appear on the ballot next to the candidate's name at
the general election. A candidate may request, at the time of filing,
that the candidate be designated on the ballot at the general
election as a nonparty candidate or as an other-party candidate, or
may request that the candidate's name be placed on the ballot at the
general election without any designation. Any such candidate who
fails to request a designation either as a nonparty candidate or as
an other-party candidate shall have the candidate's name placed on
the ballot at the general election without any designation
.
The
board shall notify the board of elections upon adoption of a
resolution under this division. No such resolution shall apply for a
particular election unless the resolution is adopted at least one
hundred twenty days prior to the deadline specified in the resolution
to become a candidate for nomination at that election. Subject to
division (B) of this section, the resolution shall apply to all
subsequent nominations for a position as a member of that board.
(B)
Not earlier than five years after the adoption of a resolution under
division (A) of this section, the board of education of a city,
local, or exempted village school district or the governing board of
an educational service center may rescind that resolution by
subsequent resolution upon a three-fifths majority vote of its total
membership.
The
board shall notify the board of elections of any resolution adopted
under this division. No such resolution shall apply to a particular
election unless the resolution is adopted at least one hundred twenty
days prior to the deadline to become a candidate for nomination at
that election under the nomination procedures the resolution is
rescinding. Subject to division (D) of this section, the requirements
of Chapter 3513. of the Revised Code shall apply to all subsequent
nominations for a position as a member of that board.
(C)
Any candidate nominated pursuant to a resolution adopted under
division (A) of this section shall appear on the
nonpartisan
office
type
ballot
at the general election as prescribed in sections 3505.04, 3513.254,
and 3513.255 of the Revised Code.
(D)
Nothing in this section prohibits or shall be construed to prohibit
the board of education of a city, local, or exempted village school
district or the governing board of an educational service center that
has rescinded a resolution under division (B) of this section from
subsequently adopting the same or different procedures for a
nonpartisan primary election by adopting a resolution under division
(A) of this section.
Sec.
3513.259.
Nominations
of candidates for the office of member of the state board of
education shall be made only by nominating petition. The nominating
petition of a candidate for the office of member of the state board
of education shall be signed by not less than one hundred qualified
electors.
No
such nominating petition shall be accepted for filing if it appears
on its face to contain signatures aggregating in number more than
three times the minimum number of signatures required by this
section. A board of elections shall not accept for filing a
nominating petition of a person 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, to be a candidate for any other state office or any
federal or county office. When a petition of a candidate has been
accepted for filing by a board of elections, the petition shall not
be deemed invalid if, upon verification of signatures contained in
the petition, the board of elections finds the number of signatures
accepted exceeds three times the minimum number of signatures
required. A board of elections may discontinue verifying signatures
when the number of verified signatures equals the minimum required
number of signatures. Such petition shall be filed with the board of
elections of the most populous county in such district not later than
four p.m. of the ninetieth day before the day of the general election
at which state board of education members are elected.
Each
nominating petition shall be signed by qualified electors residing in
the district in which the candidate designated therein would be a
candidate for election to the office of member of the state board of
education. Each candidate shall be a qualified elector residing in
the district in which the candidate seeks election to such office.
A
candidate who files a nominating petition shall indicate on the
nominating petition the political party designation to appear on the
ballot next to the candidate's name. A candidate may request, at the
time of filing, that the candidate be designated on the ballot as a
nonparty candidate or as an other-party candidate, or may request
that the candidate's name be placed on the ballot without any
designation. Any such candidate who fails to request a designation
either as a nonparty candidate or as an other-party candidate shall
have the candidate's name placed on the ballot without any
designation.
As
the word "district" is used in this section, it refers to a
district created under section 3301.01 of the Revised Code.
Section
2.
That
existing sections 3501.01, 3505.03, 3505.04, 3513.254, 3513.255,
3513.256, and 3513.259 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.