Columbus Districts
On the ballot; wording still to be certified. As of Aug. 24, 2026 both amendments below are headed to the November 3 ballot. What isn’t final is the certified ballot language and the official issue numbers — those are assigned by the Franklin County Board of Elections, so the “No. 1” and “No. 2” labels used here are the proposals’ own and may differ on your ballot.
Ballot Measures · General Election, November 3, 2026

How Columbus elects its City Council is on the ballot

This November, Columbus voters will decide two proposed charter amendments that would change how City Council is elected — one placed on the ballot by a citizen petition, one referred by Council itself. Both start from the same arrangement: today’s nine members each represent a district but are elected by the whole city. After talks over a single compromise fell short, Council members and the petition’s organizers now describe the two measures as complementary rather than competing.

As of August 24, 2026 · ballot wording and issue numbers not yet certified
What’s on the ballot
Two proposed charter amendments
How they qualified
One by citizen petition, one referred by Council
When you vote
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Where things stand. The two sides did not reach a formal compromise in time, so both measures are going to voters — but the posture is now cooperative rather than adversarial. On Aug. 24, 2026 City Council placed both amendments on the November ballot. What remains is the certified ballot wording and the official issue numbers from the Franklin County Board of Elections. This page will be updated as those are finalized; every claim should be checked against a primary source.

The system today

Columbus uses a hybrid system, in place since the 2023 elections. There are nine council members, and each must live in the district they represent — but every voter in the city votes in all nine district races. So members represent a district geographically while answering to the whole city. Both amendments below would change that arrangement in different ways.

The two measures, side by side

Proposed Amendment No. 1 · Citizen petition (Our City, Our Say)
District-only elections
What it changes
Keeps nine districts and the existing map, but switches to district-only elections.
How you’d vote
Only residents of your district vote for your representative — one council race on your ballot.
Council size
Stays at nine members.
At-large seats
None.
District map
Uses the current district boundaries — no redraw.
Signature threshold
Unchanged.
Phase-in
No new seats to phase in.
Status
Placed on the November ballot Aug. 24, 2026. It qualified after the Franklin County Board of Elections validated 15,945 petition signatures, above the required threshold.
Proposed Amendment No. 2 · Referred by City Council
A 13-member hybrid council
What it changes
Expands council to 13 members — the nine district seats plus four members elected at-large citywide — and sets a 2028 redraw of the district map.
How you’d vote
You’d vote for your district’s seat and, as the at-large seats are added, for those citywide seats too.
Council size
Grows from nine to 13 members.
At-large seats
Four, elected citywide.
District map
A citizen commission appointed by Council would redraw the map in 2028 — with greater flexibility to balance district populations — for use starting with the 2029 election; the current map stays through 2027.
Signature threshold
Lowers the district-candidate petition requirement from 250 signatures to 150.
Phase-in
Two at-large seats added in 2027, two more in 2029.
Status
Placed on the November ballot Aug. 24, 2026, introduced by Council President Pro Tempore Rob Dorans.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Council placed each amendment on the ballot by an 8–0 vote on Aug. 24; Councilmember Melissa Green was absent but had indicated support for sending both to voters. Dorans said he worked with the City Attorney’s office so that No. 2 would not conflict with No. 1. The final ballot issue numbers are assigned by the Franklin County Board of Elections and may differ from the “No. 1 / No. 2” labels used here.

Can I vote yes on both?

Yes. The two amendments appear as separate ballot questions, and you vote on each one independently — you can support one, both, or neither. Council President Shannon Hardin and several members have said they will encourage voters to approve both, and, the Columbus Dispatch reports, Council drafted its measure with the City Attorney’s office specifically so it would not conflict with the citizen petition. If both pass, how the two fit together is governed by the amendments’ certified text — check the final ballot language and the Franklin County Board of Elections for the authoritative wording.

How we got here

2018
Voters approve districts
Columbus ends its century-old fully at-large council, adopting the hybrid district system and expanding council from seven seats to nine.
2023
First district elections
All nine district seats are filled for the first time under the new system.
2025
Second cycle
Districts 1, 3, 4, and 7 are up; the staggered four-year terms take hold.
Summer 2026
A petition qualifies
The group Our City, Our Say submits about 23,000 signatures for single-member districts; the Board of Elections validates 15,945 — enough to reach the ballot.
Aug. 2026
No single compromise — but a cooperative turn
The two sides don’t reach a formal middle-ground deal in time. Rather than counter the petition, Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorans develops a second amendment — a 13-member hybrid council — that he says is meant to complement the citizen measure, not oppose it.
Aug. 24, 2026
Both measures head to the ballot
At its first meeting back from summer recess, City Council places both amendments on the November ballot. The Columbus Dispatch reports each passed 8–0, with Councilmember Melissa Green absent but on record supporting both.
November 3, 2026
Columbus votes
Voters decide each measure that appears on the certified ballot.

What each side says

Arguments made for the changes

  • Supporters of Our City, Our Say say district-only elections give neighborhoods a representative who answers to them directly, and that running in one district costs less than a citywide campaign — lowering the barrier to run.
  • Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorans says the four at-large seats in No. 2 preserve a citywide voice on issues that cross district lines, citing transit, housing, and workforce development; per the Columbus Dispatch, he also framed the citywide seats as a way to maintain broad, citywide representation on the council.
  • Council President Shannon Hardin and several members say they will encourage voters to support both amendments, and Dorans says No. 2 was drafted with the City Attorney’s office not to conflict with No. 1. (Columbus Dispatch)

Concerns and open questions

  • Some labor and Black community leaders have raised concerns about how the changes could affect representation on council. (WOSU, Aug. 2026)
  • Adding four at-large seats and a 2028 map redraw makes No. 2 a larger structural change than the petition — voters weigh a straightforward district-only switch against a broader expansion.
  • Because both measures can pass, how they would interact is set by the certified amendment text, not yet by any official summary — a reason organizers on both sides point voters to the final ballot language.

Our City, Our Say organizers, including Maitland Neff and Jesse Vogel, have said they do not view Council’s measure as contradictory and regard the effort as good-faith. The points above summarize positions publicly stated by the named parties; they are not endorsements. Columbus Districts is a nonpartisan reference and does not take a position on either measure.

Make your plan to vote

Step 1
Check your registration
Ohio Secretary of State →
Step 2
Find your district
Look up your address →
Step 3
Vote by Tue, Nov 3, 2026
See all key dates →

Key 2026 dates

Register or update by
Mon, Oct 5, 2026
Early in-person voting begins
Tue, Oct 6, 2026
Request a mail ballot by
Tue, Oct 27, 2026
Election Day
Tue, Nov 3, 2026

Dates from the Ohio Secretary of State 2026 election calendar; polls are open 6:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Confirm details with the Franklin County Board of Elections.

Sources. City Council’s Aug. 24, 2026 votes and the “encourage both” and 8–0 details: Columbus Dispatch, Aug. 24, 2026. The 13-member structure, 2027/2029 at-large phase-in, 2028 commission redraw, and 250→150 district-signature change: WOSU Public Media, Aug. 21, 2026. For the authoritative, certified ballot language and official issue numbers, see the Franklin County Board of Elections and the City Council legislative record.

Last reviewed: September 2, 2026