Label
Proposed Text Amendment to Toledo Charter
City Council
Title
Providing for the submission to the electors of the City of Toledo at a special election on November 3, 2026, an amendment Section 13 of the Charter of the City of Toledo related to the nominating petitions; directing the Clerk to notify the appropriate election authorities of the same; and declaring an emergency.
Body
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
This proposed amendment to Section 13 of the Charter of the City of Toledo would require that nominating forms be consistent with those used by state election officials and reduce the number of required signatures for a candidate to be placed on the ballot. If passed by Council the proposed amendment would be placed before the electorate.
Summary
NOW THEREFORE Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That the proposed amendment to Section 13 of the Charter of the City of Toledo, as set forth below, be submitted to the electors of the City of Toledo at a special election to be held on November 3, 2026.
SECTION 2. That City of Toledo Charter §13 states as follows:
Section 13. Nominating petitions.
The name of any elector of the City shall be placed upon the primary election ballot for nomination as a candidate for Mayor when there shall have been filed with the election authorities a petition signed by not less than seven hundred fifty (750) nor more than fifteen hundred (1500) electors of the City, and for City Council running at-large when there shall have been filed with the election authorities a petition signed by not less than two hundred fifty (250) nor more than five hundred (500) electors of the City, and for City Council running in a district when there shall have been filed with the election authorities a petition signed by not less than fifty (50) nor more than one hundred (100) electors, the form of said petitions to be substantially as follows:
We, the undersigned, hereby present whose residence is Toledo, Ohio, as a candidate for to be voted for at the primary election to be held on the day of , 19 and we individually certify that we are qualified to vote for candidate(s) for
Name Street & No. Ward-Precinct
___________________________________________________________________________________________
State of Ohio, Lucas County, ss:
being first duly sworn, deposes and says that he or she is the circulator of this petition paper and that the signatures appended thereto were made in his or her presence, and are genuine signatures of the persons they purport to be.
Signed
Subscribed and sworn to before me this day of , 19 .
Notary Public
Shall be amended to read to as follows:
Section 13. Nominating petitions and declaration of candidacy.
Any person desiring to be a candidate for election shall file a declaration of candidacy and nominating petition on the standard forms provided by the Secretary of State and as required by state law.
The name of any elector of the City shall be placed upon the primary election ballot for nomination as a candidate for Mayor when there shall have been filed with the election authorities a petition signed by not less than two hundred fifty (250) nor more than five hundred (500) electors of the City, and for City Council running at-large when there shall have been filed with the election authorities a petition signed by not less than one hundred (100) nor more than two hundred (200) electors of the City, and for City Council running in a district when there shall have been filed with the election authorities a petition signed by not less than fifty (50) nor more than one hundred (100) electors.
SECTION 3. That the foregoing amendments to the Charter of the City of Toledo shall take effect immediately upon approval by the electors of the amendments and in accordance with the provisions thereof. The Clerk of Council is hereby ordered and directed to provide a copy of approved Charter amendments to the Ohio Secretary of State within thirty (30) days after the vote of approval by the electors.
SECTION 4. The Clerk of Council is hereby ordered and directed to certify to the Board of Elections of Lucas County, Ohio, this enacted ordinance for the submission of the above amendments at an election to be held at the time stated above. Clerk is also directed to request the Board of Elections to place the question of adopting the amendments to the Charter on the ballot at said election. The Clerk of Council is further ordered and directed to publish the full text of the proposed Charter amendments once a week for not less than two (2) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Toledo, with the first publication being at least fifteen (15) days prior to the election at which the amendments are to be submitted to the electorate.
SECTION 5. That this Ordinance hereby is declared to be an emergency measure and shall be in force and effect from and after its passage. The reason for the emergency is due to deadlines imposed by the Charter and state law regarding the timely submission of ballot initiatives to the appropriate election authorities for the next general election.
Vote on emergency clause: yeas _____, nays _____.
Passed: _________________, as an emergency measure: yeas _____, nays _____.
Attest: ________________________ __________________________________
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: _____________________ ________________________________
Mayor
I hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of an Ordinance passed by Council ________________________.
Attest: ________________________
Clerk of Council