With the recent withdrawals of council members Priscilla Tyson and Mitchell Brown from the upcoming Columbus City Council race, many conversations and questions arose regarding what this means for the November general election, the process for replacing candidates, and more. Columbus Underground has provided an FAQ to some of these questions:
Q: What is required of candidates running for Columbus City Council, and why did only two non-incumbents make it onto the ballot?
A: Candidates for the office of city council member, mayor, city attorney and city auditor are required to file a nominating petition with the Franklin County Board of Elections, submit the necessary fees and include the signatures of 1,000 registered voters of the City of Columbus by Feb. 3, 2021. No more than twice the number of candidates qualified for the three open seats on council, so a primary election was not held.
Candidates that have withdrawn or were disqualified after filing include Marc Gofstein, Sheila Eubanks, Nick Bankston, Dasan Carr Williams, Joshua Williams, Farxaan Jeyte and Luis Gil. At least one candidate, Sheila Eubanks, is currently still running as a write-in in the general election.
Q: Who will be on the ballot in November?
A: Lourdes Barroso de Padilla and Tom Sussi have advanced to the general election, and after the recent withdrawals, the only other person currently set to appear on the ballot is Council President Shannon Hardin.
Per Columbus City Charter, a “commission of five” is able to fill the vacancies left by Tyson and Brown. If those ballot vacancies will be filled, and by who, is to be determined.
Q: What is a “commission of five” and who is on the commission?
A: According to the Ohio Revised Code and city charter, the commission of five is simply five registered Columbus voters that have been designated in advance by a candidate as their nominating committee, via a submitted petition to the Franklin County BOE. Nominations must be made 86 days before the general election.
Q: Since there will be no primary election, when will Columbus voters get to make their voices heard?
A: Outside of special elections for the City of Upper Arlington, Franklin Township and Mifflin Township residents, the next election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Columbus residents will vote for three city council members, city attorney and city auditor. The deadline to register for the general election is Oct. 4, 2021. You can register at vote.franklincountyohio.gov.