Ohio 136th General Assembly Status: Introduced 1 R cosponsors

HB 985 — Modify local referenda and initiative signature requirements

Last action — Introduced

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced August 06, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Not enough signal yet

Not enough signal yet to read this bill's trajectory — we surface a likelihood only once there's real movement (stage, sponsorship, committee, or votes) to point to.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

This bill modifies the signature requirements for local referenda and initiatives.

The bill amends several sections of the Revised Code to change the rules regarding signature collection for local referenda and initiatives. This could impact how local governments and citizens can initiate votes on local issues.

Summary

To amend sections 303.12, 504.14, 519.12, and 731.29 of the Revised Code to modify local referenda and initiative signature requirements.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Introduced

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 133 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (133)

133 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 133 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 985 do?
To amend sections 303.12, 504.14, 519.12, and 731.29 of the Revised Code to modify local referenda and initiative signature requirements.
Who sponsors HB 985?
HB 985 is sponsored by Ty D. Mathews (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 985?
This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced August 06, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 985?
Track HB 985 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 985

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HB 985

Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →