About Us

Ohio Equal Rights is a grassroots organization led by citizens from Ohio. Our mission is to advance the well-being of Ohioans and strengthen the quality of life in the State of Ohio by promoting equity in civil rights via a citizen-led ballot initiative.

What is a Ballot Initiative?

A ballot initiative is a method by which the citizens of the State of Ohio can put an issue on the ballot. Citizens may petition to amend the State Constitution, create a new statute, or repeal an existing law.

What is the Process to Get an Issue on the Ballot?

It is a multi-step process for a proposed Constitutional Amendment such as Equality of Rights Under the Law to be put up for a vote.

The first step is to obtain 1,000 signatures from electors in the State. These are sent to the Attorney General of Ohio alongside a summary of the proposed Amendment and the full text of the Amendment. Once it is determined that the summary is a "fair and truthful" representation of the proposed amendment, and the signatures are certified, a second round of signatures is to be gathered.

The second round of signatures must be obtained from 44 of the 88 counties in the state. A total amount of 442,958 signatures must be obtained following the 2022 gubernatorial election.

Once these signatures are certified by the State, the issue is put on the ballot for a statewide vote. If it receives over 50% of the vote, it becomes law.

More information about ballot initiatives for Constitutional Amendments can be found on the Secretary of State website here.

Who does this benefit?

Our goal is to benefit all Ohioans. We propose protections for 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. With such comprehensive protections, there are few people in this state who would not fall under at least on of these protections or have a loved one who does.

Additionally, we include explicit protections for same-sex and interracial marriages. Our amendment seeks to modernize our constitution by extending protections to marriage, safeguarding couples’ marriages regardless of race, sex, or gender. The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision which revoked the protections of Roe v. Wade has led many to wonder if our federal protections for same-sex/same-gender and interracial marriages will be overturned going forward. This amendment is a necessary defensive step to ensure our rights as Ohioans are not revoked because of decisions made at the federal level.

How will this help Ohio as a State?

Ohio currently lacks nondiscrimination policies in its Constitution, relying instead on legislation from an often unreliable legislature. Recently, the LGBTQ+ community has faced significant discriminatory legislation with no statewide laws for their protection. According to the Williams Institute at UCLA Law, 4.3% of Ohio's population is part of the LGBTQ+ community, with nearly a third raising children and comprising 5% of the workforce.

An Equal Rights Amendment would not only protect LGBTQ+ individuals and families but also make Ohio more attractive for businesses. This would help Ohio to stem economic losses that have occurred in the last few years. Ohio has also experienced significant population losses, resulting in one less seat in the federal congress as a result of the 2020 census. An Equal Rights Amendment could help prevent and reverse this worrying trend by making Ohio a more appealing state for people and businesses to establish themselves.

Our amendment also seeks to modernize our constitution by extending these protections to marriage, safeguarding couples’ marriages regardless of race, sex, or gender. The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision which revoked the protections of Roe v. Wade has led many to wonder if our federal protections for same-sex/same-gender and interracial marriages will be overturned going forward. This amendment is a necessary defensive step to ensure our rights as Ohioans are not revoked because of decisions made at the federal level.

How will this help Ohio Economically?

Ohio currently lacks nondiscrimination policies in its Constitution, relying instead on legislation from an often unreliable legislature. An Equal Rights Amendment would not only protect LGBTQ+ individuals and families but also make Ohio more attractive for businesses. This would help Ohio to stem economic losses that have occurred in the last few years. Ohio has also experienced significant population losses, resulting in one less seat in the federal congress as a result of the 2020 census. An Equal Rights Amendment could help prevent and reverse this worrying trend by making Ohio a more appealing state for people and businesses to establish themselves.

Is Ohio ready for a change this big?

Yes, Ohio is more than ready for this change. A 2023 PRRI study shows that 76% of Ohioans support nondiscrimination laws for the LGBTQ+ community, a number that has been steadily increasing. This amendment aims to protect not just the LGBTQ+ community but all Ohioans by including protections based on race, color, creed or religion, sex, pregnancy status, genetic information, age, disability, recovery status, familial status, ancestry, national origin, or military status. This would close existing loopholes and ensure maximum privacy and protection for Ohioans.

Furthermore, Ohioans have shown support for strengthening our rights through the citizen-led ballot initiative process. Last year we saw this with both the reproductive rights amendment, the marijuana initiative, and perhaps most prominently the failed amendment to make it more difficult for citizens to amend our constitution. This year we’re seeing this enthusiasm again for Citizens Not Politicians and their effort to end gerrymandering in Ohio.

How does this Amendment compare to other states' protections?

24 states have a state-level Equal Rights Amendment, but the protections in them vary widely in their coverage. The Ohio Equal Rights Amendment would have the most comprehensive protections for people of marginalized protections in the nation. Our Amendment is most similar to the ERAs passed in Nevada is 2022 Nevada's ERA passed with 58.63% of the vote.

Why are you doing this right now?

Ohio has waited long enough for the legislature to enact modern equal rights legislation or propose an equal rights amendment. There has been an increase in discriminatory legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, attempting to control pregnancies, and infringing on privacy and equality in general. It's time to move from defense to offense by utilizing the citizen-led ballot initiative process to amend our constitution and reflect the will of the people.

What does it mean for this campaign to be grassroots?

Our organization is:

Ground Up: We focus on building power among regular people, and our volunteers are actively involved with our Ohio Equal Rights' decisions. Those who want to support the ERA campaign but are not already involved with an advocacy organization can do so through OER.
Community and Relationship Centered: We are relational organizers. Our efforts began as a way to protect our communities and we focus on mobilizing relationships to activate others to do the same.
By Impacted People: Our leadership team is entirely made up people who are directly impacted by discriminatory legislation.

What can I do to help?

Volunteer: We need volunteers across Ohio to build our coalition and extend our reach. You can sign up on our website OhioEqualRights.com.
Donate: Financial contributions are crucial for the success of this initiative.
Spread the word: Encourage friends and family to volunteer or donate, and follow us on social media to extend our reach.