Tell Cincinnati City Council to Change the Form!

In the 2023 general election, city voters approved Issue 23, an amendment to the city charter streamlining local initiative and election processes. In most regards, this amendment has been successful in saving time and resources for both city staff and citizen petitioners. However, in the process of implementing the amendment, the part-petitions defaulted to form No. 6-B as prescribed by the Ohio Secretary of State, creating unintended difficulties for petition circulators.

Unlike previous petition forms used in city elections, the current form does not include a printed name field in addition to the signature. For initiatives circulated since the amendment passed, this has led to thousands of illegible or printed - but otherwise legitimate - signatures being rejected by the Board of Elections. For initiatives failing to reach the threshold, these rejected signatures could be the margin or may otherwise inflate internal counts, leading to premature submission.

Article II, § 8(A)(1) of the charter provides City Council the authority to prescribe a petition form different than that provided by the Secretary of State, for both initiative and candidate nominating petitions, via ordinance. We ask that such an ordinance be passed to designate a new petition form, in line with those previously used (to the extent that it complies with the charter) so that a printed name field is included.

In addition to removing barriers for petitioners, this measure would save time and resources for election officials. Said Alexander Linser of the Hamilton County Board of Elections: “Generally… it is helpful when we get both a printed name and a signature. However, there is a risk when trying to squeeze both into a same box…” Instead of working backwards from an illegible signature, officials can search voter rolls by addresses and printed names, ensuring greater accuracy and efficiency.

This is a non-political issue which only serves to further enfranchise Cincinnatians. We hope that Council will make this common-sense fix and affirm its commitment to a citizen-led democratic process in our city.

Sustainable Cincy, the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area, and Communities United For Action are asking Cincinnati City Council to take action on this issue!

Join us and make your voice heard below: