How to:
Overturn a new Ohio law through a Referendum
Using our People Power
Ohio's constitution allows citizens to challenge most newly enacted laws – even before they take effect.
Certified petitions suspend the law until Ohio voters have a chance to consider and vote on it.
But it’s important to organize early and quickly if you want to repeal a new law. You only have 90 days!
Law Passes
As soon as the General Assembly passes a bill and the Governor signs and files it with the Secretary of State, a new law is born. But the law doesn’t take effect right away. Voters have 90 days to repeal it, following the steps laid out below. Don’t wait too long to take action. The clock is ticking!
1
90-day clock starts ticking
But you can begin organizing before it starts
2
Write & File a Petition
Draft a fair and truthful summary of the law.
Gather 1,000 signatures of registered voters who want to repeal the law.
File the petition (which includes the full text of the law or section of the law being challenged with, along with your petition title and summary, both of which will be circulated to gather further required signatures once cleared for “step 4”).
3
Organize
While waiting for the Attorney General to review the petition (typically within 10 days), organize your signature-collecting plan.
Gather data on voter numbers from the last Governor’s election. (See Step 4.)
Determine who will collect signatures in each county (and how).
4
Get Signatures for Main Petition
Begin collecting signatures from voters in each county.
Make sure you’re adhering closely to guidelines regarding number of signatures required (both total and by county): the total number of signatures must equal 6% of votes cast in the last Governor’s election; you need a minimum of 3% of votes cast in at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties in the last Governor’s election. (In other words, you can’t collect all the signatures from a handful of counties.)
Plan to exceed the minimum number of signatures required in case any are deemed invalid. A rule of thumb: aim for 50% more signatures than the minimum needed. (See Step 5.)
5
Filing & Verification
File all petitions (physical and digital copies) with the Secretary of State, making sure you meet the 90-day deadline so the referendum appears on the next ballot.
The Secretary of State will ask the Boards of Election to verify the signatures are valid.
6
Voters Choose
Once it qualifies, the referendum will be added to the next General Election (in November) that is at least 125 days after the petition was filed.
Watch democracy in action! The challenged law will not go into effect unless it is approved by the people. Voters will decide the fate of the challenged law.
