CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — A referendum petition seeking to challenge Ordinance 09.53.2026 will not appear on the ballot after election officials determined it lacked the necessary number of valid signatures.
In an October 21 letter to the petition committee, Circleville City Auditor Mark C. Bidwell declared the petition invalid, confirming that Ordinance 09.53.2026 will remain in effect.
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 731.29, referendum petitions must gather valid signatures from at least 35 percent of the municipality’s electors who voted in the most recent gubernatorial election. Based on the 3,957 local votes cast in the November 2022 election for governor, organizers needed a minimum of 1,385 valid signatures from registered Circleville voters.
According to certification results from the Pickaway County Board of Elections, signed by Board Director Jon J. Smith and Deputy Director Paul Hastings on October 19, the petition committee submitted a total of 1,486 signatures. However, following a verification review of voter registration status, residency, and signature validity, only 1,011 signatures were verified. Coming up 374 signatures short of the statutory requirement, Auditor Bidwell stated he could not certify the measure for placement on the ballot.
Copies of the Board of Elections’ verification report and official findings are available to the petition committee through the Circleville Auditor’s Office.
