Ohio bill that would eliminate most August special elections moves forward – News-Herald

The Ohio House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would eliminate most August special elections in the state.

The bill, House Bill 458 was sponsored by Butler County Republican Rep. Thomas Hall. Hall argued that the August special elections “are costly to taxpayers and fail to engage a meaningful amount of the electorate in the process.”  Locally, Rep. Daniel P. Troy, D-Willowick, was a co-sponsor.

House Bill 458, now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

The legislation was supported by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. LaRose said that August special elections “impose an unnecessary financial and administrative burden on our 88 county boards of elections, and because of the historically low voter turnout in August elections, they produce skewed election results that often do not reflect the will of the people.”

The legislation was also supported by the Ohio Association of Election Officials. In proponent testimony during a committee hearing, the group’s legislative co-chair, Terry Burton, said their support is two-fold.

Burton said the cost-benefit analysis of special elections demonstrates that the August elections are “costly and an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars.” Burton also said voters and taxpayers would be well-served by limiting elections to two days a year, “when efficiencies can be gained, and turnout can be maximized.”

There are a few exceptions where August elections would be permitted under the legislation. One is if the governor calls for an August special election to fill a vacancy of the U.S. House of Representatives, a political subdivision/taxing authority in that district may also hold a special election for an office, question or issue. Political subdivisions and school districts would also be able to hold August special elections if the state auditor determines they are under fiscal emergency.

Lake County last had an August special election in 2019. In that election, Willoughby-Eastlake Schools sought the approval of a 4.99-mill additional, continuous tax levy. Roughly a fifth of eligible voters (20.14 percent) turned out to vote in that election. Of those who did vote, more than 78 percent voted against the levy.

The second most recent August election held in Lake County occurred in 2012 when Madison Schools had a 10-year, 4.9-mill additional levy on that ballot. That election had a 31.64 percent turnout. That levy was also voted down, with 72.18 percent voting against it.

Troy said he thinks the bill is a step in the right direction.

“I think it has the tendency to maybe put a little more faith in our democracy and really encourage greater participation in our traditional election days,” Troy said.

Among the opponents of the legislation are the Ohio School Boards Association, the Ohio Association of School Business Officials, Buckeye Association of School Administrators, and the Ohio Township Association. Those groups offered a joint opposition to the bill during a committee hearing.

“Eliminating the August special election undermines the ability of school districts and townships, which are funded primarily through property taxes, to sustain and raise critical funding,” the groups argued in written opposition testimony. “Just six years after eliminating the February special election, HB 458 would remove yet another opportunity, down to two, for school districts and townships to ask their residents to support their students and community.”

The groups also argued that the nature of the state’s constitution and school funding formula forces many school district to routinely ask voters “to simply maintain current levels of education services.” They argued that townships face similar hurdles in their ability to maintain adequate funding levels. Eliminating the August special election “will  unnecessarily complicate budget and levy planning efforts and may cause fiscal instability for some jurisdictions,” they said.

“Placing an issue on the August ballot is a decision not taken lightly, and it is one that should be decided by each board of education or board of trustees with their understanding of the community’s needs and interest,” they said.

House lawmakers passed HB 458 in a 68-22 vote. Fellow Lake County area Ohio Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord Township, joined Troy in voting in favor of its passage. All 22 “no” votes were from Democratic lawmakers.