Saturday Stats

Numeric news from Policy Matters

28.7%: Share of Black women in Ohio who experienced poverty in the last 12 months, as of 2022 (the most recent data available). Because economic disparities are often greatest where policy failures intersect, that number is higher for Black women than for Black men or white people of any gender. In a new report, Black women can thrive in Ohio, Tanisha Pruitt, PhD., and Bree Easterling explore how overlapping patterns of anti-Black and anti-women policies stack the deck against Black women in particular — and how, by creating policy to benefit Black women, legislators can make Ohio a state where everyone, regardless of race and gender, can lead happy, healthy lives.

5: Number of reports, briefs, and testimonies we have issued this year advocating for a property tax circuit breaker to help Ohioans afford their homes while also preserving revenues for school districts and other critical parts of the public sphere. (And that’s just in 2024; Zach has been promoting the idea since at least as far back as 2013.) Now, Senate Bill 271 could make it a reality. The bill is based on one of our proposals, modeled for us by our friends at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

About 1 in 6: Share of Ohio taxpayers who would benefit from the property tax circuit breaker proposed in SB 271. That includes renters, who pay property taxes as part of their rent but are too often left out of property tax relief measures. It excludes high-income property owners and renters. That’s what we mean when we describe tax policies as “targeted”: They help the people who need it most, and ensure the wealthy pay what they truly owe.

5%: Share of household income owed in property taxes beyond which SB 271’s circuit breaker kicks in. If a household’s property tax bill exceeds 5% of its income, the state picks up all or a portion of the tax payments made above it. Crucially, as with Ohio’s existing homestead exemption, the state pays the cost, protecting schools, counties, and other entities that rely on property taxes. For more, watch Bailey Williams’ testimony to the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

$1,210: Amount given so far by individual donors to our website redesign project. We are so grateful! Those donations, combined with a generous grant from the Saint Luke’s Foundation, put us well on our way to our goal — but we still have a long way to go. So if you have the means and want to support our work please visit our campaign page to donate.

15, 0: Respectively, the number of Ohioans who would make up a proposed Citizens Redistricting Commission and the number of politicians, party officials, or lobbyists allowed on that commission. The proposal is part of the Citizens Not Politicians Amendment that could be on the ballot this November. It would take redistricting away from politicians — who have exploited the process to insulate themselves from accountability — and give that power to the people of Ohio. To learn more about the importance of redistricting, take a listen to the What’s Good Ohio podcast, “What’s Good with Redistricting.” 

731,306: Number of signatures submitted by the Citizens Not Politicians campaign in support of letting Ohioans vote on the amendment: over 300K more than required. Because the Secretary of State typically invalidates a lot of signatures, organizers submit far more than the minimum, just to be safe. The petition also needs signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in at least 44 counties. This illustrates how difficult it is to get a citizen-initiated amendment on the ballot — which is why last summer’s defeat of Issue 1 was a victory for democracy, and why we need to resist any further efforts by the legislature to end majority rule in Ohio.

Watchlist

Our running list of legislation to watch is on our website. It includes brief analysis and relevant links for each bill. New or moving items are below. Unless otherwise noted, the best action you can take is to call or email your state legislators and tell them to support, oppose, or amend these bills.

SB 271: This is the property tax circuit breaker discussed above. It would create a property tax circuit breaker, to prevent some Ohio homeowners and renters from spending too large a share of their income on property taxes. The legislation is based on one of our proposals. We strongly support this bill and urge the legislature to pass it. Our recent testimony explains why.

Action items

Take/share this survey of Ohioans impacted by felony convictions. Even after serving sentences, people with felony convictions face lasting (sometimes permanent) limits on their basic civil rights. To learn more about the fight against collateral sanctions, check out this recent piece from Maria Montanez, a fellow with Building Freedom Ohio, part of Ohio Organizing Collaborative.

Listen to Season 2 of What’s Good Ohio?! (The podcast is taking its summer vacation, but Season 3 is already in the works!)

Subscribe to our Linktree for links to all our latest work.

Follow us on Reddit, where we’re trying out a new way of engaging with activists, organizers, and advocates from all over the state, and beyond!

Share this link with friends & allies you think should subscribe to Saturday Stats!