Overview

• Volunteers led by Youngstown State University professors submitted 194,981 signatures statewide, about 53,000 fewer than the 248,092 needed for a November referendum.
• Senate Bill 1, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in March, bans diversity, equity and inclusion programming at public colleges and prohibits faculty strikes.
• The law also restricts topics in collective bargaining, mandates recognition of intellectual diversity and allows post-tenure reviews for professors with low evaluation marks.
• Campaign leaders cited a volunteer-only operation and delays from larger groups as key factors in missing the June 26 deadline.
• Despite the ballot effort’s failure, organizers including Amanda Fehlbaum and Cryshanna Jackson Leftwich intend to seek alternative legal avenues to challenge SB 1.