Franklin County Issue 19 — Gahanna – Proposed Charter Amendment

Last updated Sat, Nov 7, 4:07 PM ET

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Gahanna voters

What it does
Gahanna – Proposed Charter Amendment — Shall Section 3.02, Qualifications, of Article III, Mayor; Section 4.03, Qualifications, of Article IV, The Council; and Section 10.02, Qualifications, of Article X, Department of Law, be amended to establish a consistent standard regarding conflicts with other public offices and public employment for the Mayor, Council Members and the City Attorney?
A YES vote means
Gahanna's charter would set one consistent standard on conflicts with other public offices and public employment for the Mayor, Council Members and the City Attorney.
A NO vote means
The charter's current qualification rules for the Mayor, Council Members and the City Attorney 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

  • Gahanna's Charter bars the Mayor from holding any other public office except notary public or member of the State Militia, and the Mayor may hold no other employment.
  • Council members may hold no other elected public office at all, and no other compensated City job or public office or employment that could conflict with being a Council member.
  • The City Attorney may not hold another public office or public employment, with listed exceptions (such as political party office, notary public, military reserve or National Guard service) and "any office or position permitted by this Charter or the laws of Ohio."

If it passes

  • For the Mayor, the ban on other public office would apply to offices "in conflict with the position of Mayor, as defined by the laws of Ohio." The full-time office and the ban on other employment would stay.
  • For Council members, the ban on other elected public office would apply to offices "in conflict with the position of Council member, as defined by this Charter or the laws of Ohio." The ban on other City jobs and conflicting compensated public jobs would stay.
  • For the City Attorney, the catch-all exception would read "any office or position permitted in conflict with the position of City Attorney, as determined by this Charter or the laws of Ohio."
  • Residency and experience requirements (two years as a Gahanna elector for Mayor, 15 months for Council, five years of law practice for the City Attorney) would not change.

Who would notice

Gahanna's Mayor, Council members, City Attorney, and people considering running for those offices. It has no tax effect.

How it got here

Recommended by Gahanna's 2026 Charter Review Commission, which said the purpose is to apply the same public-office conflict standard to the Mayor, City Attorney and Council and remove what it called "anomalous carve-outs." City Council placed it on the ballot by Resolution RES-0027-2026, passed July 20, 2026.

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

Background

Gahanna's charter requires a Charter Review Commission every five years; the seven-member 2026 commission, appointed by the Mayor and City Council, recommended amendments that the Council placed on the ballot as Issues 18 through 27, according to the city.

City Council adopted RES-0027-2026 on July 20, 2026 (recommended by the Committee of the Whole) to submit this amendment, which the resolution says would apply the same standard on conflicts with other public offices or public employment to the Mayor, Council members and the City Attorney, amending Charter Sections 3.02, 4.03 and 10.02.

Put on the ballot by Gahanna City Council, July 20, 2026 (RES-0027-2026), on the recommendation of the 2026 Charter Review Commission.

From official source 1, official source 2.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Franklin County Issue 19 mean?
Gahanna's charter would set one consistent standard on conflicts with other public offices and public employment for the Mayor, Council Members and the City Attorney.
What does a NO vote on Franklin County Issue 19 mean?
The charter's current qualification rules for the Mayor, Council Members and the City Attorney would not change.
Could the Mayor hold a second job after this change?
No. The proposed text keeps the rules that the office of Mayor is full-time and that the Mayor shall hold no other employment.
Who proposed this amendment?
The 2026 Charter Review Commission, a seven-member appointed body, sent ten recommendations to City Council; this is one of them.
How many votes does Franklin County Issue 19 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 Franklin County Issue 19?
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 was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

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

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