Ballot Measures · General Election, November 4, 2026
How Columbus elects its City Council is on the ballot
This November, Columbus voters are expected to weigh two competing charter amendments that would change how City Council is elected — one from a citizen petition, one from Council itself. They take different paths from the same starting point: today's nine members each represent a district but are elected by the whole city.
As of August 2026 · details may change before the ballot is certified
What's on the ballot
Two proposed charter amendments
How they qualified
One by citizen petition, one referred by Council
When you vote
Tuesday, November 4, 2026
This is a developing story. A compromise between the two sides was floated and then rejected, and Council has advanced its own amendment alongside the citizen petition. What ultimately appears on the ballot — and its exact wording — may still change. This page will be updated as the ballot is finalized; every claim should be checked against a primary source.
The system today
Columbus uses a hybrid system, in place since the 2023 elections. There are nine council members, and each must live in the district they represent — but every voter in the city votes in all nine district races. So members represent a district geographically while answering to the whole city. Both amendments below would change that arrangement in different ways.
The two measures, side by side
Citizen petition · Our City Our Say
True single-member districts
What it changes
Keeps nine districts and the current map, but switches to district-only elections.
How you'd vote
Only residents of your district vote for your representative — one council race on your ballot.
Council size
Stays at nine members.
Status
Qualified by petition — the Franklin County Board of Elections validated 15,945 signatures, above the required threshold.
Referred by City Council
A 13-member expanded council
What it changes
Expands council to 13 members — nine district seats plus four elected at-large — and calls for the district map to be redrawn in 2028.
How you'd vote
You'd vote for your district's seat and for the at-large seats. (Exact election method is set by the amendment.)
Council size
Grows from nine to 13 members.
Status
Advanced by City Council in August 2026 as a competing charter amendment.
The exact ballot titles, wording, and effective dates are set by the certified measures. Confirm details with the Franklin County Board of Elections.
How we got here
2018
Voters approve districts
Columbus ends its century-old fully at-large council, adopting the hybrid district system and expanding council from seven seats to nine.
2023
First district elections
All nine district seats are filled for the first time under the new system.
2025
Second cycle
Districts 1, 3, 4, and 7 are up; the staggered four-year terms take hold.
Summer 2026
A petition qualifies
The group Our City Our Say submits about 23,000 signatures for single-member districts; the Board of Elections validates 15,945 — enough to reach the ballot.
August 2026
Compromise rejected; a second measure
Talks on a middle-ground deal collapse. City Council advances its own amendment — a 13-member council with four at-large seats and a 2028 remap — to run alongside the petition.
November 4, 2026
Columbus votes
Voters decide the measures that appear on the certified ballot.
What each side says
Arguments for changing the system
- Single-member districts give neighborhoods a representative who answers to them directly, not the whole city.
- Running for one district costs less than a citywide campaign, lowering the barrier to entry.
- Supporters of expansion say adding at-large seats keeps a citywide voice while growing representation.
Concerns and counterpoints
- Electing every member citywide keeps the whole council accountable to all of Columbus.
- Some labor and community leaders have raised concerns about how the changes could affect representation.
- The current system is only two cycles old — too soon to judge, some argue.
The points above summarize positions publicly stated by various parties; they are not endorsements. Columbus Districts is a nonpartisan reference and does not take a position on either measure.
Make your plan to vote