On Sept. 3, 1912 the Ohio Constitution was amended, establishing the right of Ohioans to initiate new laws and amendments to the Ohio Constitution, vote on legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and overturn laws passed by the Ohio State Legislature.
This means that every amendment to the Ohio Constitution has to be approved by Ohio voters, and Ohio voters can also directly propose potential amendments instead of going through the state legislature.
Since 1912 Ohioans have voted on more than 200 proposed constitutional amendments and approved over half of them. This tradition has given Ohioans a more direct say in how the state is run, and this tradition has continued into the 21st century. Here are some recent examples.
Marsy’s Law
In 2017 an initiative petition proposed a constitutional amendment, Marsy’s Law and Crime Victim Rights Initiative. The petition was signed by 563,556 people, leading to the initiative being approved and added to the ballot for the Nov. 7 election.
The proposed amendment passed, with 1.9 million Ohioans voting for it and 0.4 million Ohioans voting against it, while 5.6 million Ohioans abstained.
Advocates said the amendment would finally guarantee the rights of crime victims, while critics said the amendment was misguided because existing Ohio law already guaranteed the rights of crime victims.
Congressional Redistricting
In 2018 the Ohio General Assembly proposed the Congressional Redistricting Procedures Amendment and was added to the ballot for the May 8 election..
The amendment passed, with 1.1 million Ohioans voting for it and 0.3 million Ohioans voting against it, while 6.6 million Ohioans abstained. Advocates said that the amendment included bipartisan map-making and ensured greater transparency, while critics said the amendment was insufficient to prevent gerrymandering.
Bail Amount Requirements and Citizenship Voting Requirements
In 2022 two constitutional amendments were proposed by the Ohio General Assembly. The first being the Determining Bail Amount Based on Public Safety Amendment, and the second being the Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment. Both were added to the ballot for the Nov. 8 election.
The first proposed amendment passed, with 3.1 million Ohioans voting for it and 0.9 million Ohioans voting against it, while 4.0 million Ohioans abstained. Advocates said that the amendment was necessary for public safety, while critics said that the amendment weakened the Ohio Supreme Court’s authority and so was detrimental to government checks and balances.
The second proposed amendment passed, with 3.0 million Ohioans voting for it and 0.9 million Ohioans voting against it, while 4.1 million Ohioans abstained. Advocates said the amendment was a common sense measure that guaranteed the integrity of elections, while critics said it was an unnecessary political game designed to demonize immigrants.
Amendment Requirements, Reproductive Rights, and Marijuana Legalization
In 2023 three constitutional amendments were proposed, one by the Ohio General Assembly and two by initiative petitions. The amendment proposed by the general assembly was the 60% Vote Requirement to Approve Constitutional Amendments Measure, and was added to the ballot for the Aug. 8 election.
The first initiative amendment was the Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative and the petition was signed by 710,131 people. The second initiative amendment was the Marijuana Legalization Initiative and the petition was signed by 222,198 people. Both initiative petitions were approved and added to the ballot for the Nov. 7 election.
The August proposed amendment failed, with 1.3 million Ohioans voting for it and 1.7 million Ohioans voting against it, while 4.9 million Ohioans abstained. Advocates said that the amendment would make the Ohio constitution more durable and less vulnerable to special interests, while critics said the amendment would kill most citizen initiatives and take away rights that Ohioans have held for over a century.
The first initiative amendment passed, with 2.2 million Ohioans voting for it and 1.6 million Ohioans voting against it, while 4.1 million Ohioans abstained. Advocates said that the amendment secured the rights of Ohioans to make important private medical decisions without government interference, while critics said the amendment made women and children unsafe by outlawing any and all restrictions on abortion.
The second initiative amendment passed, with 2.2 million Ohioans voting for it and 1.6 million Ohioans voting against it, while 4.1 million Ohioans abstained. Advocates said the amendment was a long overdue measure that would regulate marijuana the same way alcohol is regulated and dry up the black market, while critics said the amendment primarily benefited a few wealthy investors at the cost of safety in Ohio schools and workplaces.
Citizens Redistricting Commission Initiative
In 2024 one initiative petition proposed the Establish the Citizens Redistricting Commission Initiative. The petition was signed by 731,306 people and was approved and added to the ballot for the Nov. 5 election.
The proposed amendment failed, with 2.5 million Ohioans voting for it and 2.9 million Ohioans voting against it, while 2.7 million Ohioans abstained. Advocates said that approving the amendment would protect the state from partisan gerrymandering, while critics said that rejecting the amendment would protect the state from partisan gerrymandering.
Local Public Infrastructure
In 2025 the Ohio General Assembly proposed one constitutional amendment called the Local Public Infrastructure Bond Amendment. The proposed amendment was added to the ballot for the May 6 election.
The proposed amendment passed, with 0.5 million Ohioans voting for it and 0.2 million Ohioans voting against it, while 7.1 million Ohioans abstained. Advocates said the amendment would help fund important infrastructure repairs without increasing taxes, while critics said that local communities should fund their own repairs instead of using state funds.
Erik Larson, reporter
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