The effort to abolish Ohio property taxes is running up against a fast-approaching deadline, with organizers facing a steep climb to qualify for the November ballot. Supporters must submit 413,487 valid signatures by July 1 and may need roughly 700,000 total signatures to account for invalid petitions. Organizers are expected to announce a signature total and “path forward” today.

The campaign has leaned on pop-up signing events, including one in the parking lot of a former TGI Fridays in Reynoldsburg, where 97 people reportedly signed petitions. It is a modest showing for a proposal that would eliminate roughly $24 billion a year in local revenue for schools, police, EMS, libraries, children services, mental health, aging services and other local needs.

“Ohioans are rightly frustrated by rising property taxes, but frustration is not a fiscal plan,” said Jacob Sargent, director of public policy services for the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “Abolishing $24 billion in local revenue without a credible replacement would create chaos for communities, schools and employers. Ohio needs serious tax reform, not parking-lot petition drives built around a blank space where the math should be.” 6/5/2026