April 2, 2026 · Ohio Ballot Board · 758 words · 8 speakers · 27 segments
In his absence, I am filling in for Secretary LaRose as the chairman of the Ohio Ballot Board. I call this meeting of the ballot board to order. Lisa Eschbacher, Deputy Chief Legal Counsel of Elections, will serve as secretary for the ballot board. A court reporter will transcribe a record of these proceedings, and the Ohio Channel is streaming this meeting live on their website, where it will be archived. To determine whether a quorum of the ballot board is present, I ask the Secretary of the Ballot Board to call the roll.
Thank you. Senator Gaviron.
Here.
Representative Upchurch.
Present.
Senator DeMora.
Here.
Assistant Secretary Burns.
Here.
Mr. Schrader.
Here.
Thank you.
Let the record reflect that a quorum is present. Today, the Ballot Board must examine a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to prohibit the construction of a data center. On March 26, 2026, the Attorney General determined that the summary of the proposed constitutional amendment contained a fair and truthful statement of the proposed amendment and forwarded the petition to the ballot board for its approval. The board must determine whether it contains only one proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution If the ballot board determines that the proposal contains more than one proposed amendment it must divide the proposal into separate amendments and certify each one back to the Attorney General. Petitioners would then need to submit to the Attorney General's summaries of each separate ballot initiative proposal. The text and summary of the proposed amendment was provided to the ballot board members in advance of the meeting and copies are in your folders. Extra copies are available to the public the front of the table. At this time, if anyone wishes to address the ballot board regarding the amendment, please make sure you have signed in. When you are called to speak, please identify yourself and the organization you represent. As is always the case, I remind you that we are not here to debate the merits of the proposal, only whether it constitutes a single proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution. There will come a time further in this process if if it moves forward when individuals will be able to debate more of the merits. That is not the purpose today, only whether it is one single constitutional amendment. I believe at this time there is at least one individual who has requested to testify. Mr. Bao Richter.
Good morning Chairperson Burns and members of the ballot board My name is Austin Bowrichter I, along with the others here with me today, am a committee member representing the petitioners. I'm a licensed attorney, and I'm one of the co-drafters of this petition in the proposed constitutional amendment here before you. As you mentioned, Chairperson Burns, on March 26th, the Ohio Attorney General, pursuant to revised code section 3519.01A, certified that the title and summary we have submitted are fair and truthful statements of the proposed amendment. The Attorney General has now forwarded the submitted petition to you, the Ohio Ballot Board, under Revised Code Section 3505.062A, strictly for your determination as to whether it contains only one proposed law or constitutional amendment. Accordingly, I will keep these brief comments relegated to that scope. Exactly as the title suggests, this proposed amendment would prohibit the construction of a data center, as those terms have been defined therein. Fully covered in the one sentence I just uttered, the proposed amendment is straightforward, succinct, and most importantly, singular. It contains a unity of concept and of expression and for these reasons we formally request that this board determined that this petition contains only one proposed constitutional amendment and certify its approval to the Attorney General Thank you so much for your time and consideration and I'm happy to answer
any questions if there are any. Thank you. Any questions for the witness? Okay. Thank you. Seeing none, thank you for your testimony. I am waiting to see for the sign-in sheet to see who else. Okay. Is there anyone else who wishes to testify at this time? Okay. Seeing none, is there any discussion by the board at this time? Seeing none, I move that the initiative petition contains one proposed constitutional amendment. Is there a second?
Second.
The secretary of the ballot board will call the roll. Senator Gavirone.
Yes.
Representative Upchurch.
Yes.
Senator DeMora.
Yes.
Assistant Secretary Burns.
Yes.
Mr. Schrader.
Yes.
By a unanimous vote, the motion carries. As there is no further business before the ballot board, the meeting is adjourned.