OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
H.B. 271 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for H.B. 271’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Passed by the House
Primary Sponsors: Reps. Mathews and Peterson
Effective date:
Emily E. Wendel, Attorney
SUMMARY
 Specifies that, beginning with the general election on November 5, 2024, a state issue
appearing at the top of the ballot must be designated as Issue 1 and any state issue
placed below that must be consecutively numbered.
 Specifies that, for elections occurring after November 5, 2024, a state issue appearing at
the top of the ballot must be designated by the next number after the number of the
last state issue, instead of starting over at Issue 1.
 Requires, once state Issue 500 appears on the ballot, that the next state issue be
designated as Issue 1.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Numbering of state ballot issues
Issues that appear on a ballot are grouped together, with state issues appearing at the
top of the ballot and local issues following in a rotating order prescribed by law. Currently,
those issues are consecutively numbered beginning with Issue 1 at each election.
Under the bill, beginning with the 2024 general election, state issues must be
designated beginning with Issue 1, and at future elections, state issues must be numbered
beginning with the next available numeral, instead of starting over at Issue 1. For example, if
only one state issue appears on the ballot in November 2024, it will be “Issue 1.” The state issue
that appears at the top of the ballot at the next election will be “Issue 2,” and no state issue will
ever have a repeating number from a previous election. Once state Issue 500 appears on the
ballot, the next state issue must be designated as Issue 1.
The bill permits the existing numbering process to continue for local questions and
issues. It is not clear whether, under the bill, the local issues in a county would be labeled for
each election beginning with a local Issue 1, beginning with the next available number after the
state issues that appear on the ballot, or using some other indicator, such as letters. The
May 10, 2024
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
Secretary of State currently provides detailed instructions to the boards of elections regarding
ballot issues and might institute a standardized method for labeling local issues under the bill.1
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 09-18-23
Reported, H. State & Local Gov’t 04-24-24
Passed House (90-0) 05-08-24
ANHB0271PH-135/ks
1 R.C. 3505.06 and Ohio Secretary of State, Ohio Ballot Questions and Issues Handbook (PDF) (2023),
available at ohiosos.gov under “Publications.”
P a g e |2 H.B. 271
As Passed by the House


Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 3505.06
As Reported By House Committee: 3505.06
As Passed By House: 3505.06