Overturning Gay Marriage Ban and Adding LGBTQ Protections Just Got Harder. Find Out Why.
OHIO, UNITED STATES, JUL 7 – The amendment aims to address discrimination gaps and must collect over 413,000 signatures to qualify for the 2026 Ohio ballot, reflecting strong public support for LGBTQ+ protections.
- Ohio Equal Rights submitted over 2,000 signatures by June 30, 2025, and received certification from Attorney General Dave Yost on July 3 to advance a constitutional amendment.
- The amendment aims to repeal Ohio's 2004 ban defining marriage as only between one man and one woman and to prohibit discrimination based on more than a dozen protected classes.
- The Ohio Ballot Board plans to meet Wednesday, July 9, 2025, to determine if the proposal counts as a single amendment, requiring organizers to gather 442,958 valid signatures from 44 counties to qualify for the ballot.
- Liz Schmidt, who plays a key role in organizing efforts for Ohio Equal Rights, highlighted that the amendment aims to guarantee dignity, fairness, and equal treatment for everyone in Ohio, while Lis Regula pointed to recent legislative actions targeting marginalized communities as a reason for its necessity.
- If approved, the amendment could appear on the November 2026 ballot but organizers face a challenging signature-gathering phase amid political divisions and concerns about voter roll purges.
13 Articles
13 Articles


Overturning gay marriage ban and adding LGBTQ protections just got harder. Find out why.
The Ohio Ballot Board put up a big hurdle for a group that wants to repeal Ohio's old constitutional ban on gay marriage and add LGBTQ protections.

Proposed Ohio Equal Rights Amendment clears hurdle from Attorney General, heads to Ballot Board
A group marches for equal rights. (Getty Images.)A group trying to repeal Ohio’s ban on gay marriage in the state’s constitution is one step closer to getting on the 2026 ballot. Ohio Equal Rights, a grassroots movement, submitted 2,000 signatures to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on June 30 and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost certified the title and summary language on July 3. They needed to submit 1,000 valid signatures from registered …
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