Abstract
This Note examines the Ohio Legislature’s recent efforts to undermine the constitutional right to local self-governance guaranteed by the Ohio’s home rule amendment within the Ohio Constitution. By focusing on Senate Bills 91, 137, and 158, it analyzes the legislative initiatives aimed at preempting municipal powers to implement participatory budgeting and ranked-choice voting systems. These bills exemplify a broader trend of the Legislature’s attempt at eroding municipal autonomy in Ohio, cutting against the principles of local sovereignty established by the 1912 Constitutional Convention. The Note argues that such preemption efforts violate the core right to self-governance as interpreted by the Ohio Supreme Court and sets a dangerous precedent. Through exploration of legislative history, judicial precedent, and the practical implications of participatory budgeting and ranked-choice voting, the Note contends that these bills are unconstitutionally written under the home-rule amendment. It calls for the judiciary to uphold municipal rights and to preserve local democracy against state overreach.
Recommended Citation
Cole Sundermann,
The Pursuit of Municipal Sovereignty: How the Ohio Legislature Is Attempting to Violate the Right to Local Self-Governance,
73 Clev. St. L. Rev.
1277
(2025)
available at https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clevstlrev/vol73/iss4/13
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