Ohio Rev. Code § 3513.051: County central committee may determine no need for petition.

(A) The county central committee of a political party in a particular county may determine, not later than one hundred twenty days prior to the next primary election at which candidates for member of the county central committee are elected, that each person desiring to become a candidate for election as a member of the county central committee of that party in that county shall file a declaration of candidacy as required by section 3513.05 of the Revised Code but is not required to file a petition as required by that section. If the county central committee of a political party so determines, each person desiring to become a candidate for election as a member of the county central committee of that party in that county is not required to file a petition as required by that section but shall comply with all other applicable requirements of that section.

(B) If the county central committee of a political party in a particular county has determined pursuant to division (A) of this section that each person desiring to become a candidate for election as a member of the county central committee of that party in that county is not required to file a petition as required by section 3513.05 of the Revised Code, the county central committee of that political party in that county may subsequently determine that each person desiring to become a candidate for election as a member of the county central committee of that party in that county shall file that petition. The county central committee shall make that determination not later than one hundred twenty days prior to the next primary election at which candidates for member of the county central committee are elected. After the committee makes that determination, each person desiring to become a candidate for election as a member of the county central committee of that party in that county shall file the petition required by section 3513.05 of the Revised Code and shall meet all other applicable requirements of that section.