Section 3513.31 - Withdrawal, disqualification, or death of candidate prior to general election(A) If a person nominated in a primary election as a candidate for election at the next general election, whose candidacy is to be submitted to the electors of the entire state, withdraws as that candidate or is disqualified as that candidate under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code, the vacancy in the party nomination so created may be filled by the state central committee of the major political party that made the nomination at the primary election, if the committee's chairperson and secretary certify the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy by the time specified in this division, at a meeting called for that purpose. The meeting shall be called by the chairperson of that committee, who shall give each member of the committee at least two days' notice of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting. If a majority of the members of the committee are present at the meeting, a majority of those present may select a person to fill the vacancy. The chairperson and secretary of the meeting shall certify in writing and under oath to the secretary of state, not later than the eighty-sixth day before the day of the general election, the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy. The certification must be accompanied by the written acceptance of the nomination by the person whose name is certified. A vacancy in a party nomination that may be filled by a minor political party shall be filled in accordance with the party's rules by authorized officials of the party. Certification must be made as in the manner provided for a major political party.(B) If a person nominated in a primary election as a party candidate for election at the next general election, whose candidacy is to be submitted to the electors of a district comprised of more than one county but less than all of the counties of the state, withdraws as that candidate or is disqualified as that candidate under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code, the vacancy in the party nomination so created may be filled by a district committee of the major political party that made the nomination at the primary election, if the committee's chairperson and secretary certify the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy by the time specified in this division, at a meeting called for that purpose. The district committee shall consist of the chairperson and secretary of the county central committee of such political party in each county in the district. The district committee shall be called by the chairperson of the county central committee of such political party of the most populous county in the district, who shall give each member of the district committee at least two days' notice of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting. If a majority of the members of the district committee are present at the district committee meeting, a majority of those present may select a person to fill the vacancy. The chairperson and secretary of the meeting shall certify in writing and under oath to the board of elections of the most populous county in the district, not later than four p.m. of the eighty-sixth day before the day of the general election, the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy. The certification must be accompanied by the written acceptance of the nomination by the person whose name is certified. A vacancy in a party nomination that may be filled by a minor political party shall be filled in accordance with the party's rules by authorized officials of the party. Certification must be made as in the manner provided for a major political party.(C) If a person nominated in a primary election as a party candidate for election at the next general election, whose candidacy is to be submitted to the electors of a county, withdraws as that candidate or is disqualified as that candidate under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code, the vacancy in the party nomination so created may be filled by the county central committee of the major political party that made the nomination at the primary election, or by the county executive committee if so authorized, if the committee's chairperson and secretary certify the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy by the time specified in this division, at a meeting called for that purpose. The meeting shall be called by the chairperson of that committee, who shall give each member of the committee at least two days' notice of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting. If a majority of the members of the committee are present at the meeting, a majority of those present may select a person to fill the vacancy. The chairperson and secretary of the meeting shall certify in writing and under oath to the board of that county, not later than four p.m. of the eighty-sixth day before the day of the general election, the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy. The certification must be accompanied by the written acceptance of the nomination by the person whose name is certified. A vacancy in a party nomination that may be filled by a minor political party shall be filled in accordance with the party's rules by authorized officials of the party. Certification must be made as in the manner provided for a major political party.(D) If a person nominated in a primary election as a party candidate for election at the next general election, whose candidacy is to be submitted to the electors of a district within a county, withdraws as that candidate or is disqualified as that candidate under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code, the vacancy in the party nomination so created may be filled by a district committee consisting of those members of the county central committee or, if so authorized, those members of the county executive committee in that county of the major political party that made the nomination at the primary election who represent the precincts or the wards and townships within the district, if the committee's chairperson and secretary certify the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy by the time specified in this division, at a meeting called for that purpose. The district committee meeting shall be called by the chairperson of the county central committee or executive committee, as appropriate, who shall give each member of the district committee at least two days' notice of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting. If a majority of the members of the district committee are present at the district committee meeting, a majority of those present may select a person to fill the vacancy. The chairperson and secretary of the district committee meeting shall certify in writing and under oath to the board of the county, not later than four p.m. of the eighty-sixth day before the day of the general election, the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy. The certification must be accompanied by the written acceptance of the nomination by the person whose name is certified. A vacancy in a party nomination that may be filled by a minor political party shall be filled in accordance with the party's rules by authorized officials of the party. Certification must be made as in the manner provided for a major political party.(E) If a person nominated in a primary election as a party candidate for election at the next general election, whose candidacy is to be submitted to the electors of a subdivision within a county, withdraws as that candidate or is disqualified as that candidate under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code, the vacancy in the party nomination so created may be filled by a subdivision committee consisting of those members of the county central committee or, if so authorized, those members of the county executive committee in that county of the major political party that made the nomination at that primary election who represent the precincts or the wards and townships within that subdivision, if the committee's chairperson and secretary certify the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy by the time specified in this division, at a meeting called for that purpose. The subdivision committee meeting shall be called by the chairperson of the county central committee or executive committee, as appropriate, who shall give each member of the subdivision committee at least two days' notice of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting. If a majority of the members of the subdivision committee are present at the subdivision committee meeting, a majority of those present may select a person to fill the vacancy. The chairperson and secretary of the subdivision committee meeting shall certify in writing and under oath to the board of the county, not later than four p.m. of the eighty-sixth day before the day of the general election, the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy. The certification must be accompanied by the written acceptance of the nomination by the person whose name is certified. A vacancy in a party nomination that may be filled by a minor political party shall be filled in accordance with the party's rules by authorized officials of the party. Certification must be made in the manner provided for a major political party.
(F) If a person nominated by petition as an independent or nonpartisan candidate for election at the next general election withdraws as that candidate or is disqualified as that candidate under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code, the vacancy so created may be filled by a majority of the committee of five, as designated on the candidate's nominating petition, if a member of that committee certifies in writing and under oath to the election officials with whom the candidate filed the candidate's nominating petition, not later than the eighty-sixth day before the day of the general election, the name of the person selected to fill the vacancy. The certification shall be accompanied by the written acceptance of the nomination by the person whose name is certified and shall be made in the manner provided for a major political party.(G) If a person nominated in a primary election or nominated by petition under section 3517.012 of the Revised Code as a party candidate for election at the next general election dies, the vacancy so created may be filled by the same committee in the same manner as provided in this section for the filling of similar vacancies created by withdrawals or disqualifications under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code, except that the certification, when filling a vacancy created by death, may not be filed with the secretary of state, or with a board of the most populous county of a district, or with the board of a county in which the major portion of the population of a subdivision is located, later than four p.m. of the tenth day before the day of such general election, or with any other board later than four p.m. of the fifth day before the day of such general election.(H) If a person nominated by petition as an independent or nonpartisan candidate for election at the next general election dies prior to the tenth day before the day of that general election, the vacancy so created may be filled by a majority of the committee of five designated in the nominating petition to represent the candidate named in it. To fill the vacancy a member of the committee shall, not later than four p.m. of the fifth day before the day of the general election, file with the election officials with whom the petition nominating the person was filed, a certificate signed and sworn to under oath by a majority of the members, designating the person they select to fill the vacancy. The certification must be accompanied by the written acceptance of the nomination by the person whose name is so certified.(I) If a person holding an elective office dies or resigns subsequent to the one hundred fifteenth day before the day of a primary election and prior to the eighty-sixth day before the day of the next general election, and if, under the laws of this state, a person may be elected at that general election to fill the unexpired term of the person who has died or resigned, the appropriate committee of each political party, acting as in the case of a vacancy in a party nomination, as provided in divisions (A) to (D) of this section, may select a person as the party candidate for election for such unexpired term at that general election, and certify the person's name to the appropriate election official not later than four p.m. on the eighty-sixth day before the day of that general election, or on the tenth day following the day on which the vacancy occurs, whichever is later. When the vacancy occurs on or subsequent to the eighty-sixth day and six or more days prior to the fortieth day before the general election, the appropriate committee may select a person as the party candidate and certify the person's name, as provided in the preceding sentence, not later than four p.m. on the tenth day following the day on which the vacancy occurs. When the vacancy occurs fewer than six days before the fortieth day before the general election, the deadline for filing shall be four p.m. on the thirty-sixth day before the general election. Thereupon the name shall be printed as the party candidate under proper titles and in the proper place on the proper ballots for use at the election. If a person has been nominated in a primary election or nominated by petition under section 3517.012 of the Revised Code, the authorized committee of that political party shall not select and certify a person as the party candidate.(J) Each person desiring to become an independent candidate to fill the unexpired term shall file a statement of candidacy and nominating petition, as provided in section 3513.261 of the Revised Code, with the appropriate election official not later than four p.m. on the tenth day following the day on which the vacancy occurs, provided that when the vacancy occurs fewer than six days before the fifty-sixth day before the general election, the deadline for filing shall be four p.m. on the fiftieth day before the general election. The nominating petition shall contain at least seven hundred fifty signatures and no more than one thousand five hundred signatures of qualified electors of the district, political subdivision, or portion of a political subdivision in which the office is to be voted upon, or the amount provided for in section 3513.257 of the Revised Code, whichever is less.(K) When a person nominated as a candidate by a political party in a primary election or by nominating petition for an elective office for which candidates are nominated at a party primary election withdraws, dies, or is disqualified under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code prior to the general election, the appropriate committee of any other major political party or committee of five that has not nominated a candidate for that office, or whose nominee as a candidate for that office has withdrawn, died, or been disqualified without the vacancy so created having been filled, may, acting as in the case of a vacancy in a party nomination or nomination by petition as provided in divisions (A) to (F) of this section, whichever is appropriate, select a person as a candidate of that party or of that committee of five for election to the office.Amended by 130th General Assembly, SB 193,§1, eff. 2/5/2014.Amended by 130th General Assembly, SB 47,§1, eff. 6/21/2013.Amended by 129th General Assembly, SB 295, §1, eff. 8/15/2012.Amended by 129th General Assembly, HB 194, §1Made subject to referendum in the Nov. 6, 2012 election. The version of this section thus amended was repealed by 129th General Assembly, SB 295, §1, eff. 8/15/2012.Amended by 128th General Assembly, HB 48, §1, eff. 7/2/2010.Effective Date: 11-20-1996; 2002 HB445 12-23-2002 See 133rd General Assembly, HB 197, §24.