Citizens Not Politicians amendment makes the November ballot

It’s official: the Citizens Not Politicians amendment has been approved for the November ballot!

The campaign submitted 731,306 signatures, 535,005 of which were valid, for an impressive overall validity rate of 73.2%. 58 counties were certified as having more than 5% of the previous gubernatorial vote–14 more than the 44 required. That’s all pretty incredible! Here’s a link to a spreadsheet with info about the signatures submitted in each county.

This is a tremendous accomplishment! A round of applause for all the volunteers who collected signatures or helped out in other ways since signature collection first started almost a year ago. Also special thanks to anyone who made a donation to support the work.

What’s next: The Ballot Board must convene by August 22 or 23 to propose ballot language and give the amendment an issue number. Voter registration closes on October 7, and Early Vote starts on October 8, culminating on Election Day, November 5.

It’s wonderful to know that the hard work gathering signatures paid off, but there’s still lots more to be done. We need to spread the word to all Ohio voters about the problems with gerrymandering and the “Citizens Not Politicians” solution. If you haven’t signed up to volunteer yet, please join us by filling out this form.

It’s exciting that—thanks to so many members—this November, Ohioans have an opportunity to vote to establish an independent citizens redistricting commission.

Congratulations all around!