With the new law, Ohio’s next statewide ballot measure — potentially coming as soon as May 2025 — will be known as Issue 2, the one after that will be Issue 3, and so on. Once the state reaches its 501st ballot measure under this new system, the numbering system would restart back to Issue 1.
The straightforward bill had little fanfare when it was signed into law in July, but it could considerably cut down on voter confusion following a period where Ohio voters considered three Issue 1s in a span of 18 months, jumbling search engine results and creating conflicts with political signage.
First there was Issue 1 in May 2023 that sought to amend the constitution to make it harder for future amendments to pass. Many backers of that tried to get voters to oppose Issue 1 in November 2023, which enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. Then Issue 1 last month sought to change how legislative boundaries are drawn.
By the third one, voters trying to research “Ohio Issue 1″ risked confusing Google results.
“While drafting this bill, we heard from many voters and civically engaged Ohioans who wished for more clarity at the ballot box,” Mathews said when the bill unanimously passed the Ohio House. “When this passes, each ballot issue put before the voters will receive the unique and thoughtful debate it deserves.”
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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