Issues 8 and 9: how Columbus elects its City Council is on the ballot
This November, Columbus voters will decide two proposed charter amendments on how City Council is elected. Issue 8, placed on the ballot by citizen petition, would have each council member elected only by the voters in their own district. Issue 9, referred by Council, makes the same change and also adds four members elected citywide, for a 13-member council. Council describes the two as complementary. The petition coalition, Our City, Our Say, is campaigning for Issue 8; in September, two of its leaders urged Franklin County Democrats to back both.
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 every district race on the ballot, not just their own district’s. Terms are staggered, so four or five of the nine seats are on the ballot in each election. So members represent a district geographically while answering to the whole city. Both issues would end citywide voting for district seats; Issue 9 would also add seats elected citywide.
The ballot language
This is the wording you’ll see on your ballot, as published in the Board of Elections’ official notices of election. Each issue is a separate yes-or-no question.
This proposed charter amendment would limit the ability to vote for candidates for Columbus City Council to only those electors living within the districts that those candidates seek to represent.
The amendment specifies that ballots within council districts will include both citywide races as well as the district race.
The amendment allows for the initiation of a recall election of a council district representative if a petition is submitted bearing the signatures of the electors of that district in an amount that is at least fifteen (15%) percent of the votes cast within the district in the preceding mayoral election.
Shall the proposed charter amendment be approved?
This proposed charter amendment would limit the ability to vote for candidates for Columbus City Council to only those electors living within the districts that those candidates seek to represent.
The amendment adds two (2) at-large council representatives to be elected in 2027 and seated in 2028, and an additional two (2) at-large council representatives to be elected in 2029 and seated in 2030. All at-large council representatives will be elected for four (4) year terms.
The amendment includes provisions for transitioning from the current nine (9) member Council to an eleven (11) member Council and then subsequently to a thirteen (13) member Council, allowing for the ongoing staggering of terms.
Show the rest of the ballot language (9 more paragraphs)
The amendment allows councilmembers representing districts whose boundaries are redrawn but who still have at least two years remaining in their term to serve the remainder of their term representing a newly-drawn district.
The amendment specifies that candidates for council district seats must have resided within their district for at least one year prior to the primary election.
The amendment calls for a redraw of the current council district map to occur in 2027, and increases the maximum population variance between districts from 1% to 7.5%.
The amendment updates the vote requirements for expelling and/or removing councilmembers for misconduct, malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance. The amendment updates the expulsion vote threshold for conduct from “six” to “2/3rds,” and the expulsion vote for absences from “three-fifths” to “2/3rds.”
The amendment updates the charter to reflect the minimum number of councilmembers necessary to achieve a quorum for the purposes of meeting for business.
The amendment increases the number of affirmative votes that would be needed to adopt ordinances or resolutions in concert with expanding the size of the legislature.
The amendment specifies that candidates for district councilmember must collect at least 150 signatures of electors from within their district, and that at-large candidates must collect at least 250 signatures of electors from within the city limits.
The amendment specifies that ballots within council districts will include both citywide races as well as the district race.
The amendment allows for the initiation of a recall election of a council district representative if a petition is submitted bearing the signatures of the electors of that district in an amount equal to or greater than fifteen (15%) percent of the votes cast within the district in the preceding mayoral election. The amendment allows for the initiation of a recall election of an at-large representative if a petition is submitted bearing the signatures of the electors citywide in an amount equal to or greater than fifteen (15%) percent of the votes cast within the district in the preceding mayoral election.
Shall the proposed charter amendment be approved?
The two issues, side by side
Council voted 8–0 on Aug. 24 to send each amendment to voters, with Councilmember Melissa Green absent (Ord. 2354-2026, Ord. 2355-2026); according to the Columbus Dispatch, Green had indicated support for both. Dorans said he worked with the City Attorney’s office so that Council’s amendment would not conflict with the citizen petition. The redraw timeline follows the certified text, which has the districting commission appointed by March 1, 2027; much news coverage, including WOSU, ABC6 and the Dispatch, has described the redraw as happening in 2028.
What happens if one or both pass?
Today’s hybrid system stays: nine district seats, with every voter voting in each district race on the ballot.
Each member is elected only by the voters in their district, starting with the 2027 council elections. The current map stays.
District seats become district-only, and four citywide seats are phased in: two elected in 2027 and two in 2029. A new map is drawn in 2027 for the 2029 elections.
Both make the same change to how district seats are elected, using identical charter wording, and Issue 9 adds the at-large seats and other changes on top. The result would be nine members elected only by their districts plus four elected citywide (WOSU). See below for why.
Why both would take effect. Under Section 42-13 of the City Charter, if Council finds that amendments approved at the same election conflict, the one with the most votes prevails. When it placed Issue 9 on the ballot, Council formally found the two amendments “to not have conflicting provisions” (Ord. 2355-2026, Section 5), so both would take effect. Some commentary argues otherwise: a Columbus Dispatch guest column (Oct. 14) says Issue 9 would take effect over Issue 8, and Ohio Secretary of State guidance says whether amendments conflict is a legal question for the courts.
Can I vote yes on both?
Yes. Issue 8 and Issue 9 are separate questions on your ballot, and you vote on each one independently — you can support one, both, or neither. Council President Shannon Hardin and several members have said they will encourage voters to approve both, and on Sept. 22 the Franklin County Democratic Party endorsed both (WOSU). A spokesperson for Our City, Our Say has said the group won’t spend its energy opposing Issue 9, because it doesn’t contradict their amendment (WOSU, Aug. 21). Its organizers Will Petrik and Adrienne Hood urged county Democrats to support both issues (WOSU, Sept. 23); the coalition’s own campaign asks voters to vote yes on Issue 8 and doesn’t mention Issue 9 (ourcityoursay.com).
How we got here
What each side says
Arguments made for the changes
- Supporters of Our City, Our Say say district-only elections give neighborhoods a representative who answers to them directly, and that running in one district costs less than a citywide campaign. “Every resident will have their own city council member elected by the residents in each district directly accountable to them and to the communities within each district,” organizer Will Petrik said (WOSU).
- Jesse Vogel, who led in ABC6’s precinct-level analysis of District 7 in 2025 but lost citywide, said of that result: “It doesn’t make sense to voters. It sows distrust and makes accountability hard” (ABC6).
- Dorans says Issue 9’s four at-large seats keep a citywide voice on issues that cross district lines, such as transit, housing, and workforce development (WOSU). “These two issues work in tandem together to complement one another,” he told county Democrats (WOSU).
- “As our city grows, we need to give more folks a seat at the table and make sure that every neighborhood has a champion,” Council President Shannon Hardin said (ABC6).
Concerns and open questions
- Some labor and Black community leaders have raised concerns about how the changes could affect representation on council (WOSU, Aug. 18). Issue 9 does not require majority-minority districts, which some Black leaders had called for (WOSU, Aug. 21).
- Some Our City, Our Say supporters, including former mayoral candidate Joe Motil, back Issue 8 but criticize Issue 9 (WOSU). A coalition spokesperson said four at-large seats weren’t preferable to many members, though the group isn’t opposing Issue 9 (WOSU, Aug. 21).
- Council chief of staff John Tannous, arguing for citywide seats, said research shows that “when cities move to a district-based council, they tend to see housing production drop dramatically.” District 7 Councilmember Tiara Ross said a citywide perspective is needed on housing (ABC6).
- With four new seats, a 2027 map redraw, and new council rules, Issue 9 is a larger structural change than Issue 8.
In August, an Our City, Our Say spokesperson said Council’s measure doesn’t undermine the petition amendment (WOSU, Aug. 21). In September, organizers Will Petrik and Adrienne Hood urged county Democrats to back both issues (WOSU, Sept. 23). The coalition is campaigning for Issue 8; according to the Dispatch, its 20 member organizations could not reach consensus on Issue 9, and the coalition has taken no position on it. Endorsements reported so far: Franklin County Democratic Party — Issue 8 and Issue 9 (Sept. 22, 2026); Columbus Dispatch editorial board — Issue 9, calling a yes vote on Issue 8 “a step in the right direction” (Oct. 5, 2026). The points above summarize positions publicly stated by the named parties; they are not endorsements. Columbus Districts is a nonpartisan reference and does not take a position on either issue.
Make your plan to vote
Key 2026 dates
Dates from the Ohio Secretary of State 2026 election calendar; polls are open 6:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Confirm details with the Franklin County Board of Elections.
- Certified Questions and Issues, Nov. 3, 2026 General Election (PDF)
- Notice of Election: Issue 8, Columbus charter amendment by petition (PDF, Sept. 14, 2026)
- Notice of Election: Issue 9, Columbus charter amendment by Council (PDF, Sept. 14, 2026)
- Full text of Issue 8 (PDF)
- Full text of Issue 9 (PDF)
- 2026 election information
- Official results, Nov. 4, 2025 General Election: Most Populous summary (PDF; despite a “Franklin County Only” footer, its Columbus totals include the Delaware and Fairfield County parts of the city)
- Ordinance 2354-2026: submits the citizen petition amendment (passed Aug. 24, 2026)
- Ordinance 2355-2026: submits Council’s amendment; Section 5 finds no conflicting provisions (passed Aug. 24, 2026)
- Ordinance 2451-2026: corrects a drafting error in Ord. 2354-2026 (passed Aug. 31, 2026)
- Ohio Questions and Issues Handbook, ch. 10: charters (PDF, Ohio Secretary of State; copy hosted by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections)
- Sneaky Columbus council trying to maintain power with fake voting reform — Columbus Dispatch guest column, Oct. 14, 2026
- Columbus voters must ditch rigged council system. The status quo must go — Columbus Dispatch editorial board, Oct. 5, 2026
- Franklin County Democrats endorse both ballot issues to reform Columbus City Council — WOSU, Sept. 23, 2026
- Issue 8 vs. Issue 9: what Columbus voters need to know before Election Day — ABC6, Sept. 24, 2026
- Columbus City Council passes proposals to expand body, overhaul elections to Nov. ballot — ABC6, Aug. 24, 2026
- Two Columbus City Council reform amendments headed to November ballot — Columbus Dispatch, Aug. 24, 2026
- Columbus City Council sends two council reform amendments to November ballot — WOSU, Aug. 24, 2026
- Columbus City Council proposes a hybrid model of at-large and district voting — WOSU, Aug. 21, 2026
- Labor and Black leaders raise concerns on Columbus City Council reform effort — WOSU, Aug. 18, 2026
- Group collects enough valid signatures for vote on how Columbus elects city council — WOSU, July 30, 2026
- Our City Our Say submits 23,000 signatures to force a vote on how Columbus elects city council — WOSU, July 16, 2026
- Columbus City Council will see some reforms, but not for another six years — WOSU, May 11, 2018
Columbus Districts is nonpartisan. It is not affiliated with the City of Columbus, Columbus City Council, or any political campaign, including any campaign for or against Issue 8 or Issue 9. About this site.
Last updated: October 21, 2026