Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, is interviewed in the Lancaster, Ohio Eagle-Gazette. See this story. He says this year’s legislative session has acted in a way that is making election administration in Ohio very difficult. This is an implicit criticism of Husted’s own party, because Republicans have majorities in both houses of the legislature and hold the Governorship.
The primary was already changed to May. But since that omnibus bill is subject to a referendum petition drive, the legislature is trying to pass another bill that would simply move the primary to May.
The bill to change the primary also has provisions that would not disqualify a candidate who has already filed and the district boundaries change, or that they would not have to refile. It passed the House on a 63-29 vote, but then failed to enact an emergency clause by a 63-32 vote (a 2/3 vote is required). Without the emergency clause, the bill can’t take immediate effect which messes up the filing deadline for a May primary.
An emergency clause would let the bill take effective immediate.
So without it, a candidate who has read that the primary was changed to May may file to run in the “May primary” and be told that Ohio doesn’t have a May primary, but a March primary; but they could wait another month when Ohio has a May primary.
It is that sort of partisan wrangling that it appears that Husted is concerned about.
You appear to be letting your opinion of the party petition litigation color your interpretation of the article.