Ever since 1983, the Ohio petition deadline for independent presidential candidates has been 75 days before the general election. However, Ohio has just changed that deadline to 90 days before the general election. The change effectively moves the deadline from late August to early August. The change was made in Substitute HB 48, which was signed into law on April 2, 2010. Thanks to Kevin Knedler for this news.

Ohio permits stand-ins on independent presidential petitions. If a minor party that is not ballot-qualified in Ohio is using the independent presidential petition procedure, and it hasn’t chosen its presidential nominee by the time it begins circulating the independent presidential petition, it is free to use a stand-in presidential candidate, who then withdraws when the petition is submitted. The substitution committee can then tell the Secretary of State the name of the actual presidential candidate. The bill was motivated by the new federal legislation that requires states to mail their overseas absentee ballots no later than 45 days before any election.