Ohio § 1901.07

§ 1901.07.

(A) All municipal court judges shall be elected on the nonpartisan ballot for terms of

six years.  In a municipal court in which only one judge is to be elected in any one year, that

judge's term commences on the first day of January after the election.  In a municipal court in which two or more judges are to be elected in any one year,

their terms commence on successive days beginning the first day of January, following

the election, unless otherwise provided by section 1901.08 of the Revised Code . (B) All candidates for municipal court judge may be nominated either by nominating petition

or by primary election, except that if the jurisdiction of a municipal court extends

only to the corporate limits of the municipal corporation in which the court is located

and that municipal corporation operates under a charter, all candidates shall be nominated

in the same manner provided in the charter for the office of municipal court judge

or, if no specific provisions are made in the charter for the office of municipal

court judge, in the same manner as the charter prescribes for the nomination and election

of the legislative authority of the municipal corporation. If the jurisdiction of a municipal court extends beyond the corporate limits of the

municipal corporation in which it is located or if the jurisdiction of the court does

not extend beyond the corporate limits of the municipal corporation in which it is

located and no charter provisions apply, all candidates for party nomination to the

office of municipal court judge shall file a declaration of candidacy and petition

not later than four p.m. of the ninetieth day before the day of the primary election

in the form prescribed by section 3513.07 of the Revised Code .  The petition shall conform to the requirements provided for those petitions of candidacy

contained in section 3513.05 of the Revised Code , except that the petition shall be signed by at least fifty electors of the territory

of the court.  If no valid declaration of candidacy is filed for nomination as a candidate of a

political party for election to the office of municipal court judge, or if the number

of persons filing the declarations of candidacy for nominations as candidates of one

political party for election to the office does not exceed the number of candidates

that that party is entitled to nominate as its candidates for election to the office,

no primary election shall be held for the purpose of nominating candidates of that

party for election to the office, and the candidates shall be issued certificates

of nomination in the manner set forth in section 3513.02 of the Revised Code . If the jurisdiction of a municipal court extends beyond the corporate limits of the

municipal corporation in which it is located or if the jurisdiction of the court does

not extend beyond the corporate limits of the municipal corporation in which it is

located and no charter provisions apply, nonpartisan candidates for the office of

municipal court judge shall file nominating petitions not later than four p.m. of

the day before the day of the primary election in the form prescribed by section 3513.261 of the Revised Code .  The petition shall conform to the requirements provided for those petitions of candidacy

contained in section 3513.257 of the Revised Code , except that the petition shall be signed by at least fifty electors of the territory

of the court. The nominating petition or declaration of candidacy for a municipal court judge shall

contain a designation of the term for which the candidate seeks election.  At the following regular municipal election, the candidacies of the judges nominated

shall be submitted to the electors of the territory on a nonpartisan, judicial ballot

in the same manner as provided for judges of the court of common pleas, except that,

in a municipal corporation operating under a charter, all candidates for municipal

court judge shall be elected in conformity with the charter if provisions are made

in the charter for the election of municipal court judges. (C) Notwithstanding divisions (A) and (B) of this section, in the following municipal

courts, the judges shall be nominated and elected as follows: (1) In the Cleveland municipal court, the judges shall be nominated only by petition.  The petition shall be signed by at least fifty electors of the territory of the

court.  It shall be in the statutory form and shall be filed in the manner and within the

time prescribed by the charter of the city of Cleveland for filing petitions of candidates

for municipal offices.  Each elector shall have the right to sign petitions for as many candidates as are

to be elected, but no more.  The judges shall be elected by the electors of the territory of the court in the

manner provided by law for the election of judges of the court of common pleas. (2) In the Toledo municipal court, the judges shall be nominated only by petition.  The petition shall be signed by at least fifty electors of the territory of the

court.  It shall be in the statutory form and shall be filed in the manner and within the

time prescribed by the charter of the city of Toledo for filing nominating petitions

for city council.  Each elector shall have the right to sign petitions for as many candidates as are

to be elected, but no more.  The judges shall be elected by the electors of the territory of the court in the

manner provided by law for the election of judges of the court of common pleas. (3) In the Akron municipal court, the judges shall be nominated only by petition.  The petition shall be signed by at least fifty electors of the territory of the

court.  It shall be in statutory form and shall be filed in the manner and within the time

prescribed by the charter of the city of Akron for filing nominating petitions of

candidates for municipal offices.  Each elector shall have the right to sign petitions for as many candidates as are

to be elected, but no more.  The judges shall be elected by the electors of the territory of the court in the

manner provided by law for the election of judges of the court of common pleas. (4) In the Hamilton county municipal court, the judges shall be nominated only by petition.  The petition shall be signed by at least one hundred electors of the judicial district

of the county from which the candidate seeks election, which petitions shall be signed

and filed not later than four p.m. of the day before the day of the primary election

in the form prescribed by section 3513.261 of the Revised Code .  Unless otherwise provided in this section, the petition shall conform to the requirements

provided for nominating petitions in section 3513.257 of the Revised Code .  The judges shall be elected by the electors of the relative judicial district of

the county at the regular municipal election and in the manner provided by law for

the election of judges of the court of common pleas. (5) In the Franklin county municipal court, the judges shall be nominated only by petition.  The petition shall be signed by at least fifty electors of the territory of the

court.  The petition shall be in the statutory form and shall be filed in the manner and

within the time prescribed by the charter of the city of Columbus for filing petitions

of candidates for municipal offices.  The judges shall be elected by the electors of the territory of the court in the

manner provided by law for the election of judges of the court of common pleas. (6) In the Auglaize, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Crawford, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence,

Madison, Miami, Morrow, Paulding, Perry, Putnam, and Wayne county municipal courts,

the judges shall be nominated only by petition.  The petitions shall be signed by at least fifty electors of the territory of the

court and shall conform to the provisions of this section. (D) In the Portage county municipal court, the judges shall be nominated either by nominating

petition or by primary election, as provided in division (B) of this section. (E) As used in this section, as to an election for either a full or an unexpired term,

“the territory within the jurisdiction of the court ” means that territory as it will be on the first day of January after the election.