(A)(1) There is in the office of the secretary of state the Ohio election integrity commission, consisting of the following five members:
(a) A chairperson appointed by the secretary of state;
(b) One member appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(c) One member appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives;
(d) One member appointed by the president of the senate;
(e) One member appointed by the senate minority leader.
(2)(a) Subject to division (A)(2)(b) of this section, each member of the commission shall be a registered elector to whom at least one of the following applies:
(i) The person is an attorney in good standing before the supreme court of Ohio.
(ii) The person has at least four years of work experience in election administration.
(b) At all times, at least three members of the commission shall be attorneys in good standing before the supreme court of Ohio. If, at any time that multiple appointments to the commission are made simultaneously, too few of the intended appointees are attorneys, the following appointing officials shall have priority in selecting their preferred appointees who are not attorneys, in the order stated, and the appointing officials with lower priority shall select appointees who are attorneys: the secretary of state, the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the senate minority leader, and the house minority leader.
(3) The members of the commission appointed under divisions (A)(1)(a), (c), and (d) of this section shall serve initial terms of four years beginning on January 1, 2026, and the members appointed under divisions (A)(1)(b) and (e) of this section shall serve initial terms of two years beginning on January 1, 2026. Thereafter, all terms shall be four years.
(B) Each member of the commission shall hold office from the date of the member's appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. A member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. A member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until the member's successor takes office or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.
(C) A vacancy on the commission may be caused by death or resignation or by removal under division (I) of this section. Any vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as for the original appointment.
(D) Each member of the commission while in the performance of the business of the commission shall be entitled to receive compensation at the rate of twenty-five thousand dollars per year. Members shall be reimbursed for expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties.
(E) No member of the commission shall serve for more than two successive terms of four years. Terms are considered successive unless separated by a period of at least four years. In determining a person's eligibility to be a member of the commission, all of the following apply:
(1) Time spent as a member in fulfillment of a term to which another person was first appointed shall not be considered, provided that a period of at least four years has passed between the time, if any, when the person previously was a member and the time the person is appointed to fulfill the unexpired term.
(2) A person who is appointed to serve a full term and resigns before completing the term is considered to have served the full term.
(3) A two year term served under division (A)(3) of this section is considered a full term of four years.
(F)(1) No member of the Ohio election integrity commission shall do or be any of the following:
(a) Hold, or be a candidate for, a public office;
(b) Serve on a committee supporting or opposing a candidate or ballot question or issue;
(c) Be an officer of the state central committee, a county central committee, or a district, city, township, or other committee of a political party or an officer of the executive committee of the state central committee, a county central committee, or a district, city, township, or other committee of a political party;
(d) Be a legislative agent as defined in section101.70of the Revised Code or an executive agency lobbyist as defined in section121.60of the Revised Code;
(e) Solicit or be involved in soliciting contributions on behalf of a candidate, campaign committee, political party, political action committee, or political contributing entity;
(f) Be in the unclassified service under section124.11of the Revised Code;
(g) Be a person or employee who is excluded from the definition of public employee pursuant to division (C) of section4117.01of the Revised Code.
(2) No member of the commission shall make a contribution to, or for the benefit of, a campaign committee or committee in support of or opposition to a ballot question or issue, a political party, a legislative campaign fund, a political action committee, or a political contributing entity.
(G)(1) The commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson or upon the written request of a majority of the members. The meetings and hearings of the commission under sections3517.15to3517.18of the Revised Code are subject to section121.22of the Revised Code.
(2) The commission shall adopt rules for its procedures in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. Four of the five members constitute a quorum. Except as otherwise provided in this section and in sections3517.15to3517.18of the Revised Code, no action shall be taken without the concurrence of a majority of the members.
(H) The secretary of state shall employ the technical, professional, and clerical employees that are necessary for the commission to carry out its duties, and the attorney general shall provide legal counsel to the commission upon the commission's request.
(I)(1) The secretary of state, the speaker or minority leader of the house of representatives, or the president or minority leader of the senate may file a complaint in the supreme court of Ohio, seeking the removal of a member of the commission on any of the following grounds:
(a) That the member does not meet the applicable requirements of division (A)(2) of this section;
(b) That the member has violated division (F) of this section;
(c) That the member has been absent from three or more meetings of the commission in a calendar year;
(d) That the member is guilty of misconduct in office, as described in section3.07of the Revised Code.
(2) The court shall hear a complaint filed with it under division (I)(1) of this section on an expedited basis. If the court determines that the charges in the complaint are true, the court shall order the member removed from the commission, and the seat shall be considered vacant.
Last updated September 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM