Ohio Election of Members of the Public Utilities Commission Initiative (1982)

Ohio Election of Members of the Public Utilities Commission Initiative
Election date November 2, 1982
Topic Campaign finance
Status Defeated
Type Initiated constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

Ohio Election of Members of the Public Utilities Commission Initiative was on the ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment in Ohio on November 2, 1982. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported providing elections for members of the Public Utilities Commission and providing public financing of their campaigns.

A "no" vote opposed providing elections for members of the Public Utilities Commission and providing public financing of their campaigns.

Election results

Ohio Election of Members of the Public Utilities Commission Initiative
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		1,053,274	32.62%
No		2,175,893	67.38%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Election of Members of the Public Utilities Commission Initiative was as follows:

“

To adopt Article XIX of the Constitution of the State of Ohio This amendment would: Change the system of selecting members of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio so that they would be elected on a nonpartisan basis rather than appointed by the governor, and that candidates for the office receive a form of public financing for their campaigns; Give the commission the authority to supervise and regulate every public utility (except municipally owned utilities), railroads, and other transportation for hire within the state as may be provided by law; Provide for one commissioner to be elected chairman by majority vote of commission members and grant to the chairman sole authority over the appointment, removal, and compensation of commission employees, including special service contracts. If adopted, this amendment shall take effect on December 2, 1982. Shall the proposed amendment be adopted?

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in Ohio

An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.

In Ohio, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.

Ohio also requires initiative sponsors to submit 1,000 signatures with the initial petition application. Ohio has a signature distribution requirement, which requires that signatures be gathered from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. Petitioners must gather signatures equal to a minimum of half the total required percentage of the gubernatorial vote in each of the 44 counties. Petitions are allowed to circulate for an indefinite period of time. Signatures are due 125 days prior to the general election that proponents want the initiative on.

See also

1982 Measures

• 1982 Measures
• Campaign finance on the ballot
• 1982 legislative sessions

Ohio

• Ohio ballot measures
• Ohio ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Cleveland State University Law Library, "Ohio Constitution - Law and History: Table of Proposed Amendments," June 2, 2023