A week after launching a statewide campaign to place two equal rights-related constitutional amendments on Ohio’s November 2026 ballot, organizers say they feel positive about the signature-gathering process ahead.
“Seeing how many organizations and people are already willing to help, yes, we are really optimistic” – Lis Regula, executive co-chair Ohio Equal Rights (OER) – the nonpartisan, grassroots organization behind the campaign – told The Buckeye Flame.
Both fixes:
- Prohibit the Ohio Legislature and local municipalities from enacting or enforcing laws or policies that discriminate against Ohioans on the basis of race, color, creed or religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression without regard to sex assigned at birth, pregnancy status, genetic information, medical condition, age, disability, recovery status, familial status, ancestry, national origin, or military or veteran status.
- Repeal the current wording of the Ohio Constitution defines marriage as “only the union of one man and one woman.”
Following a decision in July by the Republican-controlled Ohio Board of Elections to split the original OER proposal into these two parts, organizers have until July 1 to collect and submit 442,958 valid signatures on each issue from registered voters in at least half of Ohio’s 88 counties.
“The reality is that Ohioans believe in justice,” Susan Appel, OER volunteer campaign manager, said in a statement. “We believe in minding our own business and letting people live their lives. These amendments simply reflect the values we already share. There should be no objections to putting them in writing.”
OER will organize, among others: Launch of a virtual campaign on Wednesday, January 21 at 7:00 p.m. to detail signature collection activities, including volunteer training.
“This virtual event will be a great overview of where we have been and where we need to go,” Regula said.
Organizers are urging Ohioans to talk to their friends and family about the signature collection campaign because the changes will affect many more than their LGBTQ+ siblings.
“This is about all Ohioans,” Regula said. “It’s likely that anyone can fall into one of these protected categories at some point. Even with disability protection alone, statistically speaking, almost all of us will experience some form of disability at some point in our lives.”
As state and federal lawmakers continue to introduce laws that limit the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people, OER organizers see these voting initiatives as an opportunity to protect each other.
“This is our way of showing that we care about each other,” Regula said. “We know lawmakers won’t take care of our communities the way we want them to, so we have to do it ourselves.” 🔥
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