(Ohio City) – No one in Ohio will be casting a ballot to raise the minimum wage in the next November election.
Proponents of a constitutional amendment in the state failed to collect enough signatures by Wednesday to place the topic on the November ballot. The initiative would have progressively raised the minimum wage to $15 per hour beginning in 2025 and then indexing it to inflation.
On the contrary, they have stated their intention to retain the hundreds of thousands of signatures they have collected in the hopes of amassing sufficient support to have the issue voted on in 2025.
The Ohio Secretary of State’s office required the minimum wage campaign group One Fair Wage to submit 413,487 voter signatures, with a minimum of 44 signatures required from each of Ohio’s 88 counties.
A campaign spokesman stated on Wednesday afternoon that the group did not reach the 44-county threshold. The campaign quickly changed its mind after releasing that statement, but it failed to submit signatures by Wednesday’s deadline of 11:59 p.m.
In early June, the group made an announcement that it had collected over half a million signatures. On the other hand, that quantity of signatures was probably insufficient, as it is usual practice for election authorities to invalidate a large number of signatures that are submitted for failing to fulfill the necessary legal standards.
Some common causes include the signer’s lack of voter registration or the inconsistency between their information on the petition and their voter record.
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Also, in each of the 44 counties where a gubernatorial election was held in November 2022, the campaign needs to gather signatures from 5% of the total voter turnout. According to the campaign, it had failed to meet that criterion.
If the minimum wage amendment is not included, there will only be one statewide issue likely to be on the ballot in November.
Approximately 731,000 signatures were submitted to the secretary of state on Monday by a campaign supporting a redistricting reform amendment. The campaign has filed more signatures than last year’s successful abortion-rights campaign, which increases the likelihood that it will qualify for the November election.
The existing Republican-controlled Ohio Redistricting Commission consists of seven members; this amendment would increase that number to fifteen and establish a citizen’s commission comprised of equal numbers of Republicans, Democrats, and political independents.
It was a cause for celebration for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Restaurant and Hospitality Alliance when the minimum wage initiative failed to collect enough signatures to be included on the ballot this year.
Frank LaRose, the Ohio secretary of state, issued a statement in which he blasted the campaign for what he saw as their attempt to cast blame on him for the closure of roads leading to his office due to a fireworks display in downtown Columbus and the group’s claim that petition gatherers in rural Ohio had been the victims of racist assaults.
The campaign mentioned in its statement that non-white campaign workers were “verbally harassed and threatened,” which made it sound like collecting signatures on petitions was especially difficult in rural areas.
To ensure the safe and easy submission of this petition, my staff has taken every precaution. The Columbus Police Department, the Ohio Highway Patrol, the city’s Emergency Operations Command, and the head of staff and deputy chief of staff at the mayor’s office were all involved, according to LaRose’s prepared statement. “We never had any difficulty with access.
People in rural Ohio are not at fault. I will not remain silent if any organization tries to hide their mistakes by distorting the truth.
Can you explain the effects of a minimum wage amendment?
All Ohio workers, not including those who receive tips, would be required to pay at least $15 per hour, up from the existing $10.45, under a proposed minimum wage amendment. In 2025, it would rise to $12.75 per hour, and in 2026, it would reach $15 per hour, assuming voters approve the plan.
After that, it would be adjusted annually to reflect inflation, so you should expect it to rise every year.
Workers who receive tips would also be affected by the amendment; however, it would not be completely implemented until 2029. Tipped workers now earn at least $5.25 per hour.
Not only has the Ohio Democratic Party supported the minimum wage campaign, but so have several state labor unions, such as the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union. According to the One Fair Wage campaign, 1.2 million Ohio workers are now struggling to make ends meet, and a minimum wage boost will help them out much.
Opponents of raising the minimum wage argue that doing so will lead to price increases for consumers and job cuts for businesses.