Attention readers, we have a vital opportunity to enshrine reproductive rights into the Ohio Constitution this year.  As of March 18, 2023, the window is open for Protect Choice Ohio (PCO) petitions to be signed to have this crucial bill on the ballot for the voters of Ohio to decide once and for all.  This is exciting news and a limited-time opportunity for voters to show their support for this crucial right for women. The petition process is stringent and there are specific requirements for signatures to be qualified.  But, with that said, there has never been a better time to rally around this great cause. Let’s start with a quick reminder of the voter signature requirements.

• Signers must be registered Ohio voter prior to signing the petition.

• Voters cannot sign for one another--not even for a spouse.

• Voters must provide their first name, last name, and a home address that matches the address on their voter registration.  PO Boxes are not acceptable.

• Voter’s personal signature is required, and scribbling is not acceptable.

• Only official pre-printed petitions will be accepted.  Do not print or order professionally printed copies of the petition.  Contact WIN or the Clark County Democratic Party (CCDP) for official petitions.

• Petition circulators are not required to be 18 or registered to vote.  Petition circulators should only collect one petition per county.

Stakes are high and 414,000 signatures seems high as well.  But hope is not lost for the reproductive rights of women in Ohio.  Trial runs for drive-thru ballot collection took place across the state on Saturday March 18, 2023, with promising results.  According to volunteers for Red Wine & Blue with members from Medina, Warren, and Geauga County, many women of child-bearing age were expected to attend, but the reach was much greater. For example, a Warren County circulator detailed that the people in the first car she received that signed the petition were an elderly married couple with four daughters and six granddaughters.

According to Elizabeth Chasteen, organizing director for the ACLU of Ohio, attendance at petition training sessions has been at maximum capacity and additional scheduled sessions are filling up fast. The kickoff for WIN and the CCDP’s ballot petition drive took place on Sunday, March 19th.  We look forward to additional drive-thru petition signings again through the July 5th, 2023 deadline for signature collection.  Please plan to visit the drive-thru petition site at Veteran’s Park again on Sunday, April 2nd from 1pm to 3pm.  Stay tuned for additional opportunities to support WIN’s efforts to achieve the statewide goal of collecting 700,000 raw signatures to safely ensure the 414,000 valid signatures we need.  We can do this one voter’s signature at a time!