A group of citizens seeking to abolish property taxes in Ohio said Thursday they’ve accumulated about 305,000 signatures – about 108,000 shy of the legal minimum and nearly halfway toward their goal as a July 1 deadline approaches.
Brian Massie, leader of the Official Committee to Abolish Ohio’s Property Taxes, said organizers have satisfied a requirement to gather a requisite number of signatures in 44 of 88 counties. This, in theory, would make it easier to gather signatures in the future without worrying about geography.
“Help us push back against the socialist tyranny that has taken over the Ohio statehouse,” he said. “If we fall short of our 620,000 goal, we will decide if we will risk turning in all the signatures, hoping we have met the required signature count.”
The figures Massie provided, which cannot be independently confirmed, suggests what some see as a quixotic idea has a viable chance of becoming a political reality. Conversely, Massie openly acknowledged the reasonable likelihood of coming up short. Campaigns typically aim to overshoot the required number of signatures as some will likely be deemed ineligible.
If they clear the roughly 413,000 signature requirement by July 1, the question of property tax repeal would go to voters statewide on the 2026 ballot.
The signature number claims are a shot across the bow to Ohio state government leaders, school officials and others with a stake in the state’s finances. Abolishing property taxes would eliminate $20 billion in funding for schools, libraries, social services, emergency response and other government services.
The press conference was steeped in unusual rhetoric and pageantry. It took place in a faux version of the Oval Office of the White House in a residential home in Geauga County. Two of five committee spokespeople wore sunglasses. Massie signed what he called an “Ohioans Declaration of Independence.” He invoked the Boston Tea Party, called to establish a Department of Government Efficiency in Ohio and to consolidate K-12 schools.
Massie rejected the notion that the organizers should “replace” the billions in property tax revenue the state receives each year and called Ohio a “socialist” state on multiple occasions.
Massie said the group would decide in a couple of months whether to submit the signatures on hand or hold them for a potential second attempt next year.
“I’m thinking probably the middle of June, will probably hold another press conference, or we will issue a press release,” Massie said.
A high-stakes crossroads could be coming in June
If the issue were to qualify for the ballot, it would be an existential threat to many Ohio institutions, and likely would be viewed as nothing less than a crisis by political, government and business leaders. This is why a broad coalition of public safety agencies, business groups, organized labor, school officials and others launched an anti-amendment education campaign last week, which offers an early outline of an eventual formal opposition campaign.
“Every Ohioan relies daily on essential services that are funded by property taxes – police, fire, and EMS services, road maintenance, senior care, public schools, services for at-risk kids and those with developmental disabilities, local parks, and more,” said Jen Detwiler, spokesperson for Ohioans to Protect Public Services, an organized opposition to Massie’s campaign.
“Abolishing property taxes sounds good on the surface. But doing so without a plan for what comes next will only create chaos and trigger big increases in sales and income taxes, drastic reductions in local services, or both.”
Still, the decision facing the campaign in June could come down to a calculated risk. Here’s why.
If Citizens Against Property Taxes were to turn in more than the minimum 413,487 signatures before July 1, elections officials would then review them for accuracy.
It’s common for many signatures to be rejected, most commonly when the information voters provide fails to match what’s in the voter file. This is why ballot issue campaigns commonly collect extra signatures, sometimes double the minimum requirement.
If, after this review, the effort is found to have fallen short – either in the overall number, or in any individual county – property tax abolition backers would then get an extra 10-day “cure period” to try to make up the difference. Sometimes this cure period is needed for a ballot issue to get over the hump – such as was the case when a recreational marijuana ballot issue qualified in 2023.
If, after the cure period, the campaign still falls short of either the 413,487 signature requirement or the 44-county requirement, the effort would be dead, and the petitions would be worthless.
On the other hand, the campaign could keep the petitions and try to submit them for the November 2027 election. However, this would likely increase the chances that the petition would have a higher rejection rate as voter information grows outdated.
