A grassroots coalition fed up with Columbus’ current hybrid council district system has submitted over 23,000 signatures in support of putting a city charter amendment on the November ballot.
Our City, Our Say, a coalition of activist groups rallied outside Columbus City Hall and delivered the boxes of their petition signatures to the City Clerk on July 16.
Morgan Harper, executive director for Columbus Stand Up, who formerly ran against U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty in a 2020 primary, said the ballot submission represented the moment of change that “is just beginning” in the city of Columbus.
“Today, we’ve talked to over 23,000 people in the community who all agree that more direct representation, true district-based representation is going to be one of the pathways that get us to that change,” Harper said.
Currently, Columbus has a nine-member, at-large council system where the whole city votes in all nine races, with candidates required to live in the district they’re running for. This unique, hybrid system was implemented in 2023 after voters in 2018 approved a city charter commission’s proposed compromise to frustration with the at-large system. If Our City, Our Say’s measure makes the ballot and passes, the nine council districts would become ward-like voting districts.
Our City, Our Say needs about 12,500 valid signatures to make the ballot. The clerk has 10 days to send the petition to the Franklin County Board of Elections, who will have 10 days to report back how many signatures are valid.
The Democratic Socialists of America were among the largest signature-gatherers during the petition process, getting over 6,000 of the total. Maitland Neff, a 21-year-old member of the DSA and volunteer petitioner, got 1,500 signatures alone. Neff said he wanted a representative process of council elections, saying the current system only served the “donor class.”
“We believe in a city of representative voices across the city, not just those with the financial means to exert the governing decisions over our home and community,” Neff said.
Former City Council candidate Jesse Vogel is part of the Our City, Our Say coalition. The debate around the council system was reignited after Vogel lost the 2025 District 7 election to now Councilmember Tiara Ross, despite Vogel winning the vote in the district.
Vogel said July 16 that he was excited for the energy of the movement.
“Today was great, and demonstrates how much energy there is for change in Columbus,” Vogel said. “This is a historic effort of mostly volunteers.
In a statement, Council President Shannon Hardin and Member Rob Dorans said council “supports having that ongoing conversation” about how to improve the city’s electoral system. They said the initiative shows “this growing, dynamic city is not afraid to have that conversation about representation, democracy, and governance.”
“We’ve both been clear that our current system, a product of compromise from almost a decade ago, is imperfect,” the statement said. “Now is the time to enact a durable model that settles the generations-long debate about Council’s structure.”
Not everyone who’s frustrated with the current council system is pleased with Our City, Our Say’s simple solution.
Jonathan Beard, who helped lead failed efforts in 2016 and 2017 to adopt a true district system, has accused Our City, Our Say of leaving Black residents behind. The current council map was not designed to be a voting district map and has no council district with a majority-Black electorate in a city that is about 30% Black. Three of the current districts are between 46.9% and 49.5% Black, according to the city’s data using 2020 census data.
Meanwhile, Dorans has said he voted against the current council system before he got onto council but he’s concerned about a ward or district-only model obstructing housing construction. Dorans said he wants to preserve some at-large seats.
Dorans has floated the idea of council putting a compromise amendment on the November ballot. Some members of the Our City, Our Say coalition have expressed indignation publicly about the possibility of council introducing its own charter amendment and accused the council of co-opting their movement.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Group aiming to reform Columbus council system nets 23,000 signatures
Reporting by Jordan Laird and Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jordan Laird and Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
