Cuyahoga County Issue 14 — County of Cuyahoga: Proposed Charter Amendment

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026

What it does
Shall Article XII, Section 12.09 of the Charter of the County of Cuyahoga be amended to provide that four (4) members of the Charter Review Commission shall be appointed by the County Executive, and such appointments shall not be subject to Council confirmation; four (4) members shall be appointed by the Council, and such appointments shall not be presented to the County Executive for approval or disapproval; and that one (1) member shall be appointed by the County Executive, subject to confirmation by Council?
A YES vote means
Cuyahoga County's Charter Review Commission would have 4 members appointed by the County Executive without Council confirmation, 4 appointed by Council without Executive approval, and 1 appointed by the Executive with Council confirmation.
A NO vote means
The way members of the Charter Review Commission are appointed would not change.
Needed to pass
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Left–right lean
Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Explained

Today

  • Under Section 12.09 of the Charter, the County Executive appoints all nine members of the Charter Review Commission, subject to Council confirmation.
  • The Commission is appointed every ten years (starting 2017), serves one-year terms without pay, may have no more than five members of the same party, and may propose Charter amendments to the Council.

If it passes

  • The County Executive would appoint four members without Council confirmation.
  • The County Council would appoint four members, and those appointments would not go to the County Executive for approval or veto.
  • One member would be appointed by the County Executive subject to Council confirmation.

Who would notice

The County Executive, County Council, and future Charter Review Commissions. It does not change any tax.

How it got here

County Council placed it on the ballot. On August 4, 2026 Council adopted, by unanimous roll-call vote, a substitute version of Resolution R2026-0195 on dividing board and commission appointments, including Section 12.09, between the Council and the Executive; the minutes do not reproduce the substitute's text.

Written by SpectrumVote from 4 linked sources (1, 2, 3, 4). Arguments are each side's own, not ours; the official text is what you vote on.

Background

This amendment comes from Resolution No. R2026-0195, sponsored by Councilmember Sweeney, which as introduced would have divided certain board and commission appointments equally between Council and the County Executive, according to County Council's minutes.

On August 4, 2026, a first motion to adopt failed 6–5, short of the required number of votes; Council then reconsidered, accepted a substitute introduced by Councilmember Simon, and adopted it by unanimous roll-call vote, according to the minutes.

Signal Cleveland reported that under the current Charter the County Executive appoints all nine Charter Review Commission members, and that the commission proposes Charter amendments every five years.

Put on the ballot by Cuyahoga County Council, unanimous roll-call vote (as substituted), August 4, 2026 (Resolution No. R2026-0195).

From official source.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Cuyahoga County Issue 14 mean?
Cuyahoga County's Charter Review Commission would have 4 members appointed by the County Executive without Council confirmation, 4 appointed by Council without Executive approval, and 1 appointed by the Executive with Council confirmation.
What does a NO vote on Cuyahoga County Issue 14 mean?
The way members of the Charter Review Commission are appointed would not change.
How many members would the Commission have?
Still nine: four chosen by the Executive, four by the Council, and one by the Executive with Council confirmation.
What does the Charter Review Commission do?
It reviews the Charter at ten-year intervals and may propose amendments to the Council.
What vote does it need?
A simple majority of county voters.
How many votes does Cuyahoga County Issue 14 need to pass?
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Should I vote yes or no on Cuyahoga County Issue 14?
SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
When is the vote?
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting and mail-ballot deadlines vary by state; check your state or county election office.

Not sure how to decide? Read our nonpartisan guide to the Cuyahoga County ballot.

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