Ohio House votes to end most August special elections, targeting tax levies from schools

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio House has voted to end most August special elections, a change that could make it more difficult for schools and other local governments to pass tax levies.

House Bill 458 would only allow August special elections to fill vacant congressional seats, which happened twice earlier this year for Ohio’s 11th (Cleveland) and 15th congressional districts (suburban and rural Central Ohio.) That means Ohio largely would shift to only holding two elections a year: the primary, typically in March or May and the general election in November.

The House voted 68-24 to approve the bill on Thursday, with all of the “no” votes coming from Democrats, although some Democrats voted for the bill. The measure now heads to the Senate for consideration.

One HB458 sponsor, State Rep. Thomas Hall, a Butler County Republican, previously has said that local governments “game the system” by seeking to approve tax increases during low-turnout special elections when most voters aren’t paying attention.

And in a floor speech on Thursday, Hall adopted arguments from Ohio Elections Officials Association, which supports the change.

“August special elections are costly to taxpayers and have historically low voter turnout,” Hall said.

But school officials oppose the change, saying it reduces the options they have to try to ask voters to approve tax levies or bond issues. Schools, townships and other local governments frequently target special elections, which have lower turnout and can make political campaigns supporting them more effective.

“HB458 is built on the misconception that school boards townships or cities are trying to slip something by voters when they aren’t looking,” said Lisa Sobecki, a Toledo Democrat.

In written opposition testimony offered during a committee hearing earlier this week, officials with the Ohio Association of School Business Officials, Ohio’s Superintendent Association, Ohio Township Association and Ohio School Boards Association, said August elections give communities a chance to focus on local tax issues without the distraction of also following candidate campaigns.

“Proponents of HB458 allege that the August ballot is un-transparent and does not represent the will of the electorate due to lower voter turnout and a lack of public focus on the ballot issues,” the groups said in their testimony. “We disagree. We contend that the typically fewer items that appear on the August ballot serve as a key opportunity for districts to educate voters on the levy request and the needs of the district.”

Under the bill, local governments could place tax issues on the ballot during August special congressional elections, but only if the government’s borders are entirely within the congressional district. The bill also would allow local governments to seek tax issues in an August special election if they are designated by the state Auditor’s Office to be in a state of fiscal emergency.