Campaign launches for Ohio equal rights ballot initiatives

A week after launching a statewide campaign to place two equal rights-related constitutional amendments on Ohio’s November 2026 ballot, organizers say they are feeling positive about the signature-collection process in front of them.

“Seeing how many organizations and individuals are already stepping up to say they want to help, yes, we’re feeling really optimistic,” Lis Regula, executive co-chair of Ohio Equal Rights (OER) – the nonpartisan, grassroots organization behind the campaign – told The Buckeye Flame.

The two amendments would:

Prohibit the Ohio legislature and local municipalities from enacting or enforcing laws or policies that would discriminate against Ohioans on the basis of race, color, creed or religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression regardless of sex assigned at birth, pregnancy status, genetic information, disease status, age, disability, recovery status, familial status, ancestry, national origin or military and veteran status.
Repeal the current language in Ohio’s Constitution that defines marriage as “only a union between one man and one woman.”

Following a decision by Ohio’s Republican-controlled Ballot Board in July that split OER’s original proposal into these two parts, organizers have until July 1 to collect and submit 442,958 valid signatures for each issue from registered voters in at least half of Ohio’s 88 counties.

Ohio Republicans decide Equal Rights Amendment will need double the signatures to get on the ballot

“The reality is that Ohioans believe in fairness,” Susan Appel, OER’s volunteer campaign manager, said in a statement. “We believe in minding our own business and letting people live their lives. These amendments simply reflect the values we already share. There should be no objections to putting them in writing.”

OER will be holding a Virtual Campaign Launch on Wednesday, January 21, at 7 p.m. to detail their signature-collection effort, including training volunteers.

“That virtual event will be a great overview of where we’ve been and where we need to go,” said Regula.

Organizers urge Ohioans to talk to their friends and families about the signature-collection campaign, as the amendments will affect far more than their LGBTQ+ siblings.

”This is about all Ohioans,” said Regula. “Everybody can probably find themselves in one of those protected categories at some point. Even with just the disability protections, statistically speaking, nearly all of us are going to suffer some form of disability at some point in our life.”

As state and federal lawmakers continue to introduce legislation to restrict the lived experience of LGBTQ+ individuals, OER organizers see these ballot initiatives as an opportunity to protect each other.

“This is how we show that we care for each other,” Regula said. “We know legislators aren’t going to take care of our communities in the ways that we want them taken care of, so we need to do it ourselves.” 🔥

IGNITE ACTION

Ohio Equal Rights invites individuals and groups interested in collaborating on this initiative to reach out via the organization’s website, http://www.ohioequalrights.org.
Attend the Virtual Campaign Launch on Wednesday, January 21, at 7 p.m. to learn more.