The challenges of bringing a ballot initiative to Ohio voters, and why it's harder than ever
While redistricting reform might not be on the ballot again this election season, the people who bring about initiatives and constitutional amendments aren’t sitting on their hands. The result of the 2024 campaign informed how advocacy leaders are moving forward, they say.
“I actually think right now is a critically important time for any future redistricting initiative, to keep talking about these issues, and to keep linking this problem to all the other problems around the country,” said Collin Marozzi, advocacy director for the ACLU of Ohio.
Ballot initiatives serve as an important part of making governmental change, one that many around the state see as one of the only ways, currently, to bring about change on which a Republican supermajority won’t budge, like reproductive rights or marijuana.
While an initiated statute on marijuana succeeded (though the legislative success is still to be determined), and reproductive rights were solidly approved to enter the Ohio Constitution, the most recent pass at redistricting reform to change to a citizen-run method rather than one run by elected officials didn’t fare as well.
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/01/26/the-challenges-of-bringing-a-ballot-initiative-to-ohio-voters-and-why-its-harder-than-ever/