Group gathers 714K names to repeal Ohio SB 5 union law

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Opponents of Ohio’s new collective bargaining law say they have collected hundreds of thousands more signatures than needed in their effort to let voters decide whether to repeal the measure this fall.

A spokeswoman for the group We Are Ohio said today it has gathered more than 714,000 signatures. They still must be checked by the state’s election chief to ensure enough are legitimate.

The group is making a final petition push in the coming weeks. It needs more than 231,000 valid signatures by June 30 to get the issue on the November ballot. The signatures have to be from at least 44 of the 88 counties.

The law signed by Republican Gov. John Kasich in late March bans public employee strikes and restricts collective bargaining rights for more than 350,000 teachers, police officers, state employees and others.