Group aims to lift limits on clubs

The groups have collected almost 250,000 signatures on their petition.

By MARC KOVAC

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

COLUMBUS — A group that hopes to overturn legislation placing limits on activities at sexually oriented businesses has gained about 40,000 signatures in the past week — enough to at least temporarily stop the new no-touch law from taking effect early next month.

Spokeswoman Sandy Theis said the Dancers for Democracy and Citizens for Community Standards had 248,673 signatures in hand as of Monday, about 8,000 over the 241,366 needed to place the issue before voters in November. Strippers, paid circulators and an online signing option have helped the effort.

“We were averaging 5,000 [signatures] a day, but our daily averages keep going up,” Theis said.

The group will turn the signatures into the Ohio secretary of state’s office early next month. Local election boards then will be given the task of verifying signatures; Theis said name-gathering efforts will continue throughout that process to ensure additional signatures are in hand if sufficient numbers prove invalid.

About the bill

Senate Bill 16, which is set to take effect Sept. 4, prohibits sexually oriented businesses not holding valid liquor licenses from operating between midnight and 6 a.m.

Those with liquor licenses could stay open provided they cease from offering sexually oriented entertainment involving nude performers. It also institutes a statewide ban on physical contact between club employees who are nude or seminude or with patrons.

The bill passed both the Ohio House and Senate earlier this year. It became law without the signature of Gov. Ted Strickland, who allowed the legislation to take effect.

The Citizens for Community Standards and Dancers for Democracy began circulating petitions shortly thereafter with hopes of overturning the law, via an issue on the November ballot.

The group has posted an option on its Web site, citizensforcommunitystandards.org, providing a means for other interested Ohioans to submit their signatures by regular mail.

“We’ve gotten several hundred of them,” Theis said. “Some of them have one signature on them, some have more than one.”