This story from The Daily Record of Wooster, Ohio, explains that county elections officials are struggling to handle the May 4, 2010 primary, because six parties are participating. Ohio has never before been required to hold primaries for more than four political parties in any one year. The six parties are Democratic, Republican, Constitution, Green, Libertarian, and Socialist. The latter four parties are on the ballot because the 6th circuit struck down Ohio’s requirements for ballot access for new parties in 2006, and the legislature has never passed any new requirements.
A large majority of states provide that newly qualifying parties nominate by convention, not by primary. Ohio doesn’t have that option because Ohio is one of only two states with a state Constitution that requires that all recognized parties nominate by primary.
The county elections officials are struggling because they don’t know how many primary ballots to print for the four smaller parties. Ohio doesn’t ask voters to choose a party on voter registration forms. Any voter is free to ask for the primary ballot of any of the four minor party primary ballots. The problem is that no one has any idea how many voters will ask for one of the minor party primary ballots. Chances are, very few voters will ask for one, but the counties dare not risk printing too few ballots and then running out.
The bills in the Ohio legislature to replace the old ballot access law with a new one have not moved all year, and odds are dimming that the legislature will pass any bill on this subject. The most sensible policy would be to start the process of amending the Ohio Constitution, so that only large parties are required to nominate by primary. However, no one in Ohio government seems motivated to do this, and the proposal would need to be approved by the voters since it involves changing the state Constitution.