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| Reform Ohio | |
|---|---|
| Name | Reform Ohio |
| Formation | 2010s |
| Type | Political advocacy group |
| Headquarters | Columbus, Ohio |
| Region served | Ohio |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Reform Ohio is a state-level political advocacy organization active in Ohio partisan and policy debates. It has engaged with electoral campaigns, legislative initiatives, and public policy debates across the state, interacting with political parties, think tanks, labor unions, and media outlets. The group has been cited in coverage by statewide outlets and discussed by elected officials, grassroots activists, and national commentators.
Founded during the 2010s political realignment that followed the 2010 United States elections, the organization emerged amid activism related to the Affordable Care Act, Citizens United v. FEC, and debates after the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. Early organizers included activists with prior experience in campaigns linked to the Ohio Democratic Party, Ohio Republican Party, and national groups such as MoveOn.org and Americans for Prosperity. The group’s activities intersected with landmark state events including litigation around Ohio Redistricting Commission decisions, ballot initiatives like the Issue 1 (Ohio 2018), and election contests involving figures such as John Kasich and Sherrod Brown.
Reform Ohio states goals focused on electoral integrity, campaign finance oversight, and administrative transparency in state institutions. Its public statements reference engagement with state bodies including the Ohio Secretary of State's office, collaboration with civic organizations like League of Women Voters of Ohio, and participation in coalitions alongside national entities such as the Brennan Center for Justice and the Center for Responsive Politics. The group frames objectives in relation to major policy debates involving the Ohio Supreme Court, county boards of election, and legislative sessions of the Ohio General Assembly.
The organization has taken positions on voting access measures, redistricting reform, and campaign finance disclosure. It has advocated for ballot access changes comparable to reforms discussed after decisions like Shelby County v. Holder and proposals similar to amendments debated in the California Citizens Redistricting Commission context. On labor and workplace issues it has engaged with litigation and policy arguments associated with Janus v. AFSCME and state-level collective bargaining disputes. The group has commented on budgets passed by governors such as Mike DeWine and predecessor administrations, and has submitted testimony during committee hearings in the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate.
Reform Ohio operates as a nonprofit advocacy entity with leadership roles including an executive director and a board comprising activists, former staffers from campaigns for politicians like Ted Strickland and Richard Cordray, and former staff from policy organizations such as the Urban Institute and Heritage Foundation. The organization coordinates with state chapters of national networks including Common Cause and ACLU of Ohio, and maintains relationships with university research centers like the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs and faculty affiliated with Ohio State University and Case Western Reserve University.
Notable efforts include voter registration drives conducted in coordination with student groups at Ohio State University, get-out-the-vote operations for local contests including mayoral races in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, and litigation support related to ballot-count procedures during the 2020 United States presidential election that involved scrutiny directed at county boards in Cuyahoga County and Franklin County. The group partnered with civic coalitions during campaigns surrounding revenue measures and school funding debates connected to cases like DeRolph v. State and budget negotiations involving the Ohio Department of Education.
Funding has reportedly come from small-dollar donations, philanthropic grants, and coordination with larger national organizations including Tides Foundation, Democracy Alliance-aligned funds, and issue-focused donors who have also supported entities such as Everytown for Gun Safety and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. The group has engaged consultants and outside counsel with ties to firms that worked on campaigns for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and has accepted in-kind support from coalitions that include Fair Elections Center and labor partners such as the Service Employees International Union.
Critics have accused the organization of partisan bias and of employing tactics similar to outside groups scrutinized in controversies involving the National Rifle Association and dark money disputes following McCutcheon v. FEC. Allegations have included coordination claims tied to campaign legal defenses used in high-profile cases like those involving Donald Trump coalescing national attention, and disputes over transparency that echoed legal debates before the Federal Election Commission. Opponents from state party committees and some editorial pages in outlets like the Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Columbus Dispatch have challenged the group’s funding disclosures and strategic priorities.
Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States Category:Organizations based in Columbus, Ohio