$15 Minimum Wage Supporters Fail to Meet Signature Requirement for November Ballot

Ohio Fair Wage said Wednesday afternoon that it would not meet the signature requirements to get an amendment to raise the minimum wage on the November ballot.

Supporters of a $15 minimum wage must collect more than 413,000 valid signatures from at least half of Ohio’s 88 counties by Wednesday’s deadline. Ohio Fair Wage has said it will not meet the 44-county requirement.

In a statement, Ohio Fair Wage said its result fell short because fewer signatures were collected in rural counties where there was “violence and intimidation toward our low-wage canvassers of color.”

“While we are very close to our goal, we want to continue collecting signatures to honor and respect the tremendous effort made by so many workers,” the statement read. “We are disappointed but determined to continue collecting until we have enough signatures to put $15+ tips on the November 2025 ballot.”

Ohio’s current minimum wage is $10.45 for non-tipped workers and $5.25 for tipped workers.

This is a developing story and will be updated.