Taking Initiative

What role should the Ohio Supreme Court play when citizen initiatives, ballot language and the powers voters have reserved for themselves end up in court? In this Taking Initiative: Candidate Conversation , Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner , a candidate for reelection in 2026, joins Ohio Ballot Protection to discuss direct democracy, judicial independence and the relationship between ci...

What happens when citizens ask lawmakers to pause mega data center development—and hear “absolutely not”? In this Taking Initiative Spotlight, Conserve Ohio’s Nikki Gerber joins Ohio Ballot Protection’s Laura Lucarelli to recount her September 30 Statehouse visit, efforts to secure a moratorium, and frustration over being sent between local and state officials. It’s a candid look at the obstacles...

How did Ohioans gain the power to bypass their elected representatives and take issues directly to the ballot? Journalist, former state legislator and Ohio historian Mike Curtin joins Taking Initiative to take us back to 1912 — a pivotal year when Ohio embraced the initiative and referendum and gave citizens powerful tools to check their government. Curtin brings a rare perspective to the conversa...

W hat happens when a statewide citizen initiative becomes something much bigger? In this Taking Initiative: Spotlight on an Initiative , we catch up with Conserve Ohio attorneys Nick Owens and Austin Baurichter as their effort to restrict large data centers moves forward on multiple fronts. Since our last conversation, ten local charter amendments have qualified for the November ballot, another is...

How does an everyday concern become a ballot initiative — and ultimately, a law? Rev. Ray Greene of Freedom BLOC joins Taking Initiative to share a remarkably straightforward organizing philosophy: listen to people, build relationships and start local. Greene takes us inside Freedom BLOC's work in Akron, where community conversations have helped shape citizen-led ballot initiatives addressing hous...

What happens when people use direct democracy to challenge power — and power pushes back? Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, Executive Director of the BISC ( http://www.ballot.org ), joins Taking Initiative to explore the national landscape of citizen-led ballot measures and the growing fight to protect them. Chris takes us from Missouri’s recent defense of majority rule to Ohio’s unique role as a nat...

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt came to Columbus to address the Ohio Constitutional Convention as delegates reconsidered how power should be shared between government and the people. In his landmark speech, A Charter of Democracy, Roosevelt argued that initiative and referendum should give citizens a direct path to act when representative government fails to represent them. Later that year, Ohio voter...

What happens when a statewide citizen initiative hits a roadblock? Conserve Ohio attorneys Nick Owens and Austin Baurichter share how their movement is taking direct democracy local — helping Ohio communities use their own power to address mega data centers. Their work also offers a preview of what’s coming soon from Ohio Ballot Protection: a new toolkit to help Ohioans turn “What can we do?” into...

In this episode, Taking Initiative co-hosts Laura Lucarelli and Patricia Blackmon debrief on what they've learned while interviewing the changemakers in Ohio's direct democracy over the last few months. Plus, Pat turns the mic on Laura to learn how the podcast came to be. They talk about direct democracy, the importance of protecting the people's power, and "what's in it for all of us" by getting...

In our Spotlight on an Initiative, the Conserve Ohio group announces 2027 is the new target for getting on the ballot. Then three of the initiative leaders attend a weekly commissioners meeting and voice concerns with others in the community about plans for a data center being built in Adams County. Music attribution CCYOTOKZZH52W0PR

Ohio Equal Rights and Right to Marry Amendment petitions moved their goal from getting on the ballot from 2026 to 2027.

Meet Conserve Ohio volunteer Austin Baurichter, part of the attorney duo who drafted the petition to ban mega data centers in Ohio. Austin talks about quitting his job when he found himself at a moral crossroads so he could help his neighbors through Conserve Ohio. Learn how he and a second attorney researched and carefully considered language that ultimately passed the single subject review of th...

In our Spotlight on an Initiative ( Ban Mega Data Centers OH Initiative ), Conserve Ohio takes advantage of an opportunity to provide public testimony to Ohio's Select Committee on Data Centers. It was a long day for Nikki Gerber and others who traveled from Southern Ohio to the Statehouse to voice their opposition. Nikki shares what happened at the Statehouse and why she's grateful to all those e...

In this episode, we sit down with Lis Regula, co-chair of the Ohio Equal Rights ballot initiative effort, to talk about how the group is moving forward after the Ohio Ballot Board split their initiative into two separate issues: equal rights and marriage equality. He shares why the group decided to move forward with both initiatives at once, and what’s surprising him about the signature-gathering...

To make the ballot, a citizen initiative or referendum requires hundreds of thousands of signatures statewide. But the challenges go beyond the sheer number of signatures required. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the signature-gathering process with Richard Margolius, who shares lessons learned and roadblocks to watch for based on his experience with signature collection across several r...

In this episode, Ohio Ballot Protection checks in with attendees of the Libertarian Party of Ohio's Convention in Dayton last week to hear their views on ballot initiatives and direct democracy.

In this episode, we sit down with Ohio Secretary of State Candidate Tom Pruss (Libertarian Party) to hear his views on direct democracy and the citizen-led ballot initiative process. Note: Ohio Ballot Protection does not endorse political candidates.

In this episode, we sit down with Ohio Attorney General Candidate John Kulewicz (Democratic Party) to hear his views on direct democracy and the citizen-led ballot initiative process. Note: Ohio Ballot Protection does not endorse political candidates.

In this episode, we sit down with Ohio Attorney General Candidate Elliot Forhan (Democratic Party) to hear his views on direct democracy and the citizen-led ballot initiative process. Note: Ohio Ballot Protection does not endorse political candidates.

In this episode, we sit down with Ohio Secretary of State Candidate Allison Russo (Democratic Party) to hear her views on direct democracy and the citizen-led ballot initiative process. Note: Ohio Ballot Protection does not endorse political candidates.

In this episode, we sit down with Ohio Secretary of State Candidate Marcell Strbich (Republican Party) to hear his views on direct democracy and the citizen-led ballot initiative process. Note: Ohio Ballot Protection does not endorse political candidates.

In this episode, we sit down with Ohio Secretary of State Candidate Bryan Hambley (Democratic Party) to hear his views on direct democracy and the citizen-led ballot initiative process. Note: Ohio Ballot Protection does not endorse political candidates.

We sit down with Emily Harper and Danielle Kinhalt, members of a group called Adams County for Responsible Development, which has just submitted its petition and initial 1,000 required signatures for a proposal that would ask Ohioans to vote on capping the energy new data centers can draw from the power grid. We hear about their tactics for gathering signatures in rural Ohio and what’s next in the...

We sit down with Mandy Fehlbaum, a Youngstown State University professor who helped to lead a referendum to repeal Ohio Senate Bill 1, which placed new restrictions on DEI and collective bargaining at public colleges and universities in the state. We talk about the challenges the grassroots group faced, what prevented them from getting the referendum on the ballot, and takeaways for other grassroo...

Ohio Ballot Protection co-chair Laura Lucarelli talks with attendees at BISC's Road Ahead 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio, last week to hear what direct democracy advocates across the country are working on.