2025 Charter Amendment Initiative
What can a community do when the democratic process itself has been outlawed? That’s the question facing residents of Ohio.
Some Columbus residents, like Bill Lyons of the Ohio Community Rights Network, say that enough is enough. “The shredding of Ohioans Constitutional home-rule and local self-governing rights has gone on too long,” says Lyons, “it is time for the people of Columbus to reclaim these rights so that we can truly create the just city we envision for ourselves, the natural environment, and future generations.” Lyons and other local citizens are seeking to overturn this undemocratic process within their city. On May 15th, they submitted a proposed city charter amendment initiative petition to the city, seeking to ask voters on the November 2027 ballot if they will reject state preemption and reaffirm the right to make decisions locally.
“The state should be able to set baseline protections for things like minimum wage and environmental protection,” says Lyons. “But for the state to outlaw communities from implementing higher levels of protection for health, safety and welfare through what’s called ‘ceiling preemption’ is unjust, immoral, and should be illegal.”
You can read our June 9th, 2025 PRESS RELEASE by clicking HERE
You can read our 2025 charter initiative language by clicking HERE
Visit our calendar to sign up to petition at events by clicking HERE
Columbus Community Bill of Rights needs your help!
We have two years to collect the signatures required to put this charter initiative on the ballot.
Please contact us by clicking HERE for more information on how important this effort is, and for how you can help us get it on the City of Columbus ballot!
We kicked off our initiative with our booth at the 2025 ComFest.
Please consider making a donation to us by clickingHERE. We need funds for our Columbus Community Bill of Rights group. These donations are not tax-deductible because we need to use them for legislative initiative purposes.
What might Columbus be able to do if the Protect Local Control in Columbus Charter Amendment were to be adopted?
- Raise the minimum wage
- Prohibit the dumping of fracking waste in the city
- Prohibit city funds being invested in entities committing crimes against humanity or genocide
- Pass a single-use plastic bag ban
- Adopt ranked choice voting
- Pass sensible gun restrictions
- Enact rent control protections
- And adopt many other policies that Columbus residents want
Our postcard:
Organizations who support our initiative
