COLUMBUS – The third time was the charm for backers of a proposed ballot issue that would raise Ohio’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The state attorney general’s office on Wednesday accepted a petition to place the “Raise the Wage Ohio Amendment” on the November 7 ballot after twice rejecting it in October.
The proposal would raise the minimum wage to $10.50 in 2025 and then in equal yearly increments until it gets to $15 in 2028.
The next step is to gain the approval of the Ohio Ballot Board and, after that, supporters would have to collect signatures from registered voters
Attorney General Dave Yost’s office determined that the summary of the ballot issue on the petition is a “fair and truthful representation of the proposed statute”.
If the Ballot Board certifies the proposal after determining whether it contains a single constitutional amendment or multiple amendments, supporters will have to collect signatures from registered voters equal to at least 10% of the vote cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. The signatures must come from voters in at least 44 counties and equal at least 5% of the votes cast in each county.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office will have to certify the signatures at least 65 days before the election.