Columbus voters may see dueling proposals on November's general election ballot to change city council's hybrid district system for the second time in the last decade.
Our City Our Say, a coalition of several community organizers and groups, submitted a proposed charter amendment Wednesday afternoon to the city clerk that would change the district system to become a true ward system. The current system requires candidates to live within the boundaries of one of nine council districts, but that candidate must win the majority of votes citywide.
Councilmember Tiara Ross won November's election citywide, while her opponent Jesse Vogel won the most votes in council district 7. That's what both proposals seek to change.
Both the proposal by Our City Our Say and a separate charter amendment submitted in February would make it so only voters within the nine council districts can vote for their district representative. Each amendment also proposes other smaller changes to the current system.
The big difference between the two proposals is that Our City Our Say wants to keep the district map the same for now, until redistricting is triggered by the 2030 U.S. Census. The other proposes an entirely new map that it argues creates majority-minority districts to help boost Black representation compared to the current districts.
Kwesi Low's grassroots organization Columbus Stand Up joined Our City Our Say with other groups like the Democratic Socialists of America to push for their idea. Low said they will need more than 13,000 signatures from Columbus residents in order to make the November ballot. He said the group is aiming to double that number to ensure they collect enough valid signatures.
"Different districts have very unique challenges that they're facing. So as it continues to grow, those differences are only gonna be exacerbated and we're gonna see the increased need for very specific intentional leadership and council," Low said.
Low said switching to this type of system would allow councilmembers to prioritize neighborhoods, rather than the entire city of almost 1 million people. He said the group isn't satisfied with the current map, but wants to play the "long game" to make changes to how the city elects its leaders.
"This is an opportunity, we believe, to get a win and to not only change the district, the way that we elect our councilmembers, but also continue that momentum. And demonstrate to the people that we serve that we can continue to win," Low said.
Low said having this type of system also allows candidates to spend less money on campaigns since they wouldn't have to campaign across the entire city.
Columbus resident Jonathan Beard is helping organize the dueling proposal. His group will also face the same signature threshold needed to make the ballot.
Beard told WOSU on Wednesday the fact that there are two proposals is a sign that people aren't satisfied with the current system. Beard is critical of Our City Our Say's proposal.
"It's a recognition that the system that's developed by Columbus City Council does not work and that citizens are speaking up about it and trying to do something. So I think from that perspective, it's good. On the other hand, I wish it was a more inclusive proposal because it leaves the political interests of Black Columbus in the wayside," Beard said.
Beard said it rubs him wrong that he thinks the idea to change the system is being "co-opted by a group of white folk now to serve their purposes, which is a candidate that didn't get elected."
Low is a Black man who cofounded Columbus Stand Up with former U.S. Senate candidate Morgan Harper. Our City Our Say also announced its charter amendment with the Asian American Midwest Progressives group in support.
“The people of Columbus know what we need in each district and what should be prioritized at City Hall,” Sharon Kim, a lead organizer of Asian American Midwest Progressives (AAMP) of Ohio, said in a statement. “In every district, we should be trusted to pick our representative from our community to be able to choose someone who has relationships with their neighbors and that understands our district’s priorities.”
Beard argues the current district map, created by the city before the 2023 election, only created white-majority districts. His proposal includes a map that he said creates multiple "majority-minority districts." Beard said he tried to work with Our City Our Say, but went his own way when it became clear some disagreements couldn't be resolved.
Beard said his group didn't seek out public input on its map proposal.
"I don't think that makes much of a difference, honestly, because, you know, that was the city's process when they went through and they came up with these, you know, ridiculous maps right now, which are all majority white districts. So I'm not sure public input makes all that much of a difference," Beard said.
Beard said the "vast majority of people" don't care about council district maps.
"Participation does not always yield a rational outcome as we see today with the city map," Beard said.
Low said creating a new map should take a lot of conversation and should include community input.
"We would envision that, you know, ideally it would take a good amount of time because it would give people the opportunity to really weigh in and make sure that we got it right," Low said.
Our City Our Say said after filing, the petition language must first be reviewed and approved by Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein. Once the petition is reviewed and approved, the coalition will begin collecting signatures from registered Columbus voters to get the issue on the November 2026 ballot.
