Cincinnati voters have two charter amendments to consider on the ballot this election. One, put fourth by Councilmember Liz Keating, would create new rules for citizens who want to put their own amendment on the ballot, among other measures.
Councilmember Keating says Issue 23 is perhaps the least divisive issue on the ballot because it is about cleaning up the charter to mirror state law.
The ballot language reads as follows:
Shall the charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to clarify the process for citizens to initiate charter amendments, ordinances, and referenda by providing a process and timeline for submitting petitions for initiatives, referenda, and Charter amendments to the Clerk of Council to allow a reasonable time for verification of signatures and drafting necessary ordinances and an opportunity for citizens to collect additional signatures on petitions; requiring petition circulators to submit a certified copy of any initiative, referendum, or Charter amendment petition to the Clerk of Council before collecting signatures on the petitions; permitting City Council to cast their votes by any method that publicly announces their vote, including voice, electronic, or other mechanical method; clarifying throughout the Charter that Council terms are two years; clarifying that candidate petition circulators must sign a statement rather than provide a notarized affidavit on candidate petitions; aligning the timeline for filing a nominating petition for an election to an unexpired term of Office of Mayor with state and federal requirements; and providing an opportunity for candidates for Council and Mayor to collect additional signatures on their petitions by amending existing Sections 3 and 5 of Article II, "Legislative Power," and existing sections 1, 2, and 4 of Article IX, "Nominations and Elections," and by enacting new Section 8 of Article II, "Legislative Power"?
On Cincinnati Edition we'll ask Councilmember Keating why she feels these changes are needed and the next steps if voters approve the amendment.
Guests:
- Liz Keating, Cincinnati City Councilmember
- Becca Costello, local government reporter, WVXU
Ways to listen to this show:
- Tune in live at noon ET M-F. Call 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on today’s topic.
- Catch the replay on 91.7 WVXU and 88.5 WMUB at 8 p.m. ET M-F.
- Listen on-demand. Audio for this segment will be uploaded to this page by 4 p.m. ET., or subscribe to our podcast.