Ohio 2020 ballot measures

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Zero statewide ballot measures were certified for the 2020 ballot in the state of Ohio.

HIGHLIGHTS

Between 1995 and 2018, voters approved 53.3 percent (24 of 45) and rejected 46.7 percent (21 of 45) of the statewide ballot measures.

The initiative signature deadline for constitutional amendments passed on July 1, and no petitioners submitted signatures.

Getting measures on the ballot

Citizens

In Ohio, citizens have the power to initiate constitutional amendments, state statutes, and veto referendums. Voters approved a constitutional amendment for initiative and referendum powers in 1912.

In 2020, 442,958 signatures were required for initiated constitutional amendments.

In Ohio, initiated statutes begin as indirect initiatives, requiring 132,887 signatures in 2020 to go before the Ohio State Legislature, which had the option to approve an initiative without a vote of electors. Should the state legislature fail to adopt an indirect initiative, the initiated statute becomes direct, requiring an additional 132,887 signatures (for a grand total of 265,774) to go before voters in 2020.

A veto referendum required 265,774 signatures in 2020. The deadline for veto referendums was 90 days after the targeted law was signed.

In Ohio, signatures for citizen-initiated measures must come from 44 of Ohio's 88 counties.

Changes due to the coronavirus pandemic

See also: Changes to ballot measure campaigns, procedures, and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2022

On May 19, 2020, U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus ordered Ohio to accept electronic signatures from the ballot measure campaigns sponsoring the Ohio Voting Requirements Initiative and the Ohio Minimum Wage Increase Initiative. Judge Sargus also extended the signature deadline from July 1 to July 31 for the two ballot measure campaigns that had filed the suit.

Legislature

The Ohio General Assembly can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments and state statutes, to the ballot in odd-numbered years and even-numbered years. In Ohio, the most common type of legislative referral is the constitutional amendment, which requires voter approval. Between 1995 and 2018, just one legislative referral was a statute.

Ohio requires a 60 percent vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 60 votes in the Ohio House of Representatives and 20 votes in the Ohio State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Not on the ballot

See also: Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
IndISS	Background Checks for Gun Purchases Initiative	Firearms	Expands background checks for firearm purchases
CICA	State Legislative Term Limits Initiative	Term limits and State legislatures measures	Amends the Ohio Constitution to limit the time state legislators may serve to 16 years
CICA	Voting Requirements Initiative	Voting policy measures	Amends the Ohio Constitution to change registration and voter ID requirements
VR	Surcharges for Nuclear, Coal, and Solar Subsidies and Decrease to Renewable Standards Referendum	Energy	Overturns House Bill 6 (HB 6), which made changes to the state's energy policies and subsidies
CICA	Absentee and Early Voting Requirements Initiative	Elections and campaigns	Amends the Ohio Constitution to require absentee ballots be sent 46 days prior to the election and to allow early voting 28 days before an election
CICA	Voter Registration Initiative	Elections and campaigns	Amends the Ohio Constitution to allow for voter registration in person on election day
CICA	Disabled Voters Initiative	Elections and campaigns	Amends the Ohio Constitution to state disabled voters have "full and equal access" to vote
CICA	Election Audit Initiative	Elections and campaigns	Amends the Ohio Constitution to require a sample of elections to be audited
CICA	Minimum Wage Increase Initiative	Minimum wage	Increases the state minimum wage incrementally to $13 per hour by January 2025 and ties it to inflation thereafter
CICA	Nursing Facilities Staff-to-Patient Ratios and Care Requirements Initiative	Healthcare	Establishes staff-to-patient ratios and minimum care requirements in nursing facilities
CICA	Marijuana Legalization Initiative	Marijuana	Amends the Ohio Constitution to legalize the possession of marijuana for individuals 21 years of age or older and regulate the production and sale of it
CICA	Right to Marijuana Use Initiative	Marijuana	Amends the Ohio Constitution to add that individuals 21 years and older have a right to use marijuana
LRCA	Bonds for Unemployment Compensation Amendment	Bond issues	Adds a new section to the Ohio Constitution that allows the legislature to issue bonds to repay unemployment compensation paid by the federal government

Historical facts

See also: List of Ohio ballot measures

Between 1995 and 2018, the following occurred:

• A total of 45 measures appeared on statewide ballots.
• An average of two measures appeared on the ballot during even-numbered election years.
• An average of between one and two measures appeared on the ballot during odd-numbered election years.
• The number of measures appearing on statewide ballots ranged from zero to five.
• Voters approved 53.3 percent (24 of 45) and rejected 46.7 percent (21 of 45) of the statewide ballot measures.

Ohio statewide ballot measures, 1995-2018
Years	Total number	Approved	Percent approved	Defeated	Percent defeated	Even-year average	Even-year median	Even-year minimum	Even-year maximum
All measures	45	24	53.3%	21	46.7%	1.9	1.5	0	5
Initiatives	20	7	35.0%	13	65.0%	0.9	1.0	0	4
Veto referendums	3	1	33.3%	2	66.7%	0.1	0.0	0	1
Legislative amendments	20	16	80.0%	4	20.0%	0.75	0.5	0	3

See also

• 2020 ballot measures
• Ohio ballot measures
• Ohio signature requirements
• Procedures for qualifying an initiative in Ohio
• Laws governing the initiative process in Ohio

External links

• Initiative Petitions Submitted to the Attorney General's Office
• Ohio Ballot Board
• Ohio State Legislature