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Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio House Bill 985 lowers local referendum and initiative signature thresholds from 35% to 20%
Last action · August 6, 2026: IntroducedSponsor: Ty Mathews
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What This Bill Would Do
Ohio HB 985 reduces the percentage of voter signatures required to place local zoning and municipal referenda or s on the ballot from thirty-five per cent to twenty per cent of the total vote cast for governor in the preceding gubernatorial election. The new signature threshold applies to petitions filed on or after the effective date of the act across counties, townships, and municipal corporations.
Local residents and advocacy groups seeking to challenge municipal ordinances, township resolutions, or county zoning amendments through a ballot petition will need fewer signatures to qualify for an election. The adjustment alters the mobilization threshold required for citizens to trigger public referenda on local legislative actions.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Registered electors and local voters
Voters face a lower signature threshold to place local zoning and municipal referenda or initiatives on the ballot.
County and township zoning commissions
Local zoning authorities process referendum petitions under the updated signature percentage rules.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new signature percentage required for local zoning referenda?
When do the new petition signature requirements take effect?
Which local government entities are affected by this bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Procedural history
1 action- Aug 6, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Uniform reduction across local governing bodies
The legislation consistently reduces the referendum signature threshold from thirty-five per cent to twenty per cent across multiple forms of local government including counties, townships, and municipal corporations.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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