S.B.1 also limits what content professors can bring into the classroom, prevents faculty unions from striking and weakens their collective bargaining power, places new workload requirements on professors and proposes cuts for programs with low enrollment numbers.  

Before S.B.1 even went into effect, universities across the state began preemptively making changes to their policies in compliance with the new law. Ohio University eliminated its multicultural, pride and women’s centers, as well as laying off all employees who worked in the centers. 

Taking note of the severe changes S.B.1 would make to universities in Ohio, organizers put together a petition to create a referendum. Unlike other ballot initiatives that proposed amendments to the Ohio Constitution or the Ohio Revised Code, the referendum would place S.B.1 on hold until voters could decide whether they wanted to repeal it in the November election.  

But there was a catch.  

Working under deadline

Referendums can only be introduced in the 90 days between Governor DeWine signing the bill into law and the law going into effect. Organizers need to collect at least 1,000 to get the petition certified before they can start collecting signatures in support of the official referendum.  

Gov. DeWine signed S.B.1 on March 28, meaning it was set to go into effect on June 27.  

By May 5, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose had certified the professor’s summary petition, and organizers could start campaigning for the referendum.  

Organizers needed to collect about 248,092 valid signatures by June 25 to put S.B.1 on the November ballot.  

United Campus Ministries Director Ari Faber served as the regional captain for the area and headed the effort to collect signatures in 17 counties across southeast Ohio. He understood passing the referendum was a near impossible task, but he knew he had to get involved anyway.  

“We had a lot of support in the region, it’s just trying to get that volume of signatures in such a short amount of time ... without the millions that are often poured into ballot initiatives, ... it’s an incredibly tall order,” Faber said.  

The petitioners lacked financial support from a major political action committee or nonprofit and instead relied on small donors.    

Eden Truax is a junior at Ohio University studying math. Over the summer, she worked with Faber collecting signatures in favor of the referendum in Athens.  

Truax also understood that the odds were stacked against the referendum but still wanted to get involved for those who could not.  

“It’s frustrating because it’s (S.B.1) making decisions about ... how people do their education. Many of these people are coming from out of state, or (are) international students that don’t have a say in this at all,” Truax said.  

To her, S.B.1’s broad reach made it difficult to make the public understand how they would be affected.  

“That was kind of difficult to say something that got to people,” she said.  

Faber said when talking to voters, messaging was key. 

“Are you going to tell them more about ... how it would affect unions and relating that as like an attack on one union as an attack on all unions for them ... or if you’re going to focus more on the loss of spaces on campuses or you’re going to focus more on what it does in the classroom,” Faber said.  

Organizers fell short of required signatures

Ultimately, the organizers failed to collect enough signatures before S.B.1 went into effect, collecting roughly 195,000 of the nearly 250,000 they needed.  

Both Faber and Truax say that despite the referendum’s failure, it is important for affected communities to continue moving forward.  

“It’s sad that we have lost so much it feels like, but there’s still community and support and Athens itself has not changed; it’s still a place that loves and welcomes so many different people from so many different communities,” Faber said.  

Faber said UCM will continue to support LGBTQ+ people in Athens and aims to be a third space for the greater Athens community.  

To Truax, her first experience collecting signatures inspired her to keep getting involved.  

“You don’t get involved because you’re going to see your hopes come to fruition, you get involved to move things forward.”