Cleveland.com: Ohio Equal Rights launches drive to get anti-discrimination, right-to-marry issues before voters

by Mary Frances McGowan for Cleveland.com

Ohio Equal Rights kicked off a statewide signature collection campaign this week to place two proposed constitutional amendments on the 2026 ballot that would expand civil rights protections and protect same-sex marriage.

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 if they want to place both amendments on the November 2026 ballot.

“Individual rights are constantly under attack in this country, and Ohioans deserve protections that cannot be taken away by shifting political winds,” Susan Appel, volunteer campaign manager for Ohio Equal Rights, said in a statement.

While Ohio Equal Rights initially planned on organizing one constitutional amendment, a decision by the Ohio Ballot Board last year split the original proposal into two separate questions, doubling the work of organizers.

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