§ 3505.062Ohio ballot board duties

The Ohio ballot board shall do all of the following:


(A) Examine, within ten days after its receipt, each written initiative petition received from the
attorney general under section 3519.01 of the Revised Code to determine whether it contains only
one proposed law or constitutional amendment so as to enable the voters to vote on a proposal
separately. If the board so determines, it shall certify its approval to the attorney general, who then
shall file with the secretary of state in accordance with division (A) of section 3519.01 of the
Revised Code a verified copy of the proposed law or constitutional amendment together with its title
and summary and the attorney general's certification of the title and summary.


If the board determines that the initiative petition contains more than one proposed law or
constitutional amendment, the board shall divide the initiative petition into individual petitions
containing only one proposed law or constitutional amendment so as to enable the voters to vote on
each proposal separately and certify its approval to the attorney general. If the board so divides an
initiative petition and so certifies its approval to the attorney general, the petitioners shall resubmit to
the attorney general appropriate titles and summaries for each of the individual petitions arising from
the board's division of the initiative petition, and the attorney general then shall review the
resubmissions as provided in division (A) of section 3519.01 of the Revised Code.


(B) Prescribe the ballot language for constitutional amendments proposed by the general assembly to
be printed on the questions and issues ballot, which language shall properly identify the substance of
the proposal to be voted upon;


(C) Prepare an explanation of each constitutional amendment proposed by the general assembly,
which explanation may include the purpose and effects of the proposed amendment;


(D) Certify the ballot language and explanation, if any, to the secretary of state no later than seventy-
five days before the election at which the proposed question or issue is to be submitted to the voters;



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(E) Prepare, or designate a group of persons to prepare, arguments in support of or in opposition to a
constitutional amendment proposed by a resolution of the general assembly, a constitutional
amendment or state law proposed by initiative petition, or a state law, or section or item of state law,
subject to a referendum petition, if the persons otherwise responsible for the preparation of those
arguments fail to timely prepare and file them;


(F) Direct the means by which the secretary of state shall disseminate information concerning
proposed constitutional amendments, proposed laws, and referenda to the voters;


(G) Direct the secretary of state to contract for the publication in a newspaper of general circulation
in each county in the state of the ballot language, explanations, and arguments regarding each of the
following:


(1) A constitutional amendment or law proposed by initiative petition under Section 1g of Article II
of the Ohio Constitution;


(2) A law, section, or item of law submitted to the electors by referendum petition under Section 1g
of Article II of the Ohio Constitution;


(3) A constitutional amendment submitted to the electors by the general assembly under Section 1 of
Article XVI of the Ohio Constitution.




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