The Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity (OCTEQI) is advancing its historic citizen-led initiative to amend the Ohio State Constitution. After overcoming a prolonged series of administrative and legal battles, the campaign has now entered its critical statewide signature-gathering phase, aiming for placement on the November 3, 2026, general election ballot.​ The coalition is a unified effort of multiple civil rights and accountability organizations, led by the Heartbeat Movement Inc.​ The initiative’s Ballotpedia page can be viewed here.

Initiative’s Goal: Restoring constitutional accountability​. The proposed amendment seeks to restore a fundamental check on government power by allowing Ohioans to hold public officials and entities accountable in civil court. It will remove qualified immunity, the court-created doctrine that shields officials from liability unless they violated a “clearly established” right.​ Eliminating other immunities by prohibiting government actors from using sovereign immunity and prosecutorial immunity as defenses against claims of constitutional rights violations.​

Create a Civil Cause of Action: Grant citizens a clear legal path to sue the state, political subdivisions, and public employees when their rights under the Ohio Constitution have been violated.

A History of Perseverance: The path to the ballot has been marked by significant obstruction. Between February 2023 and March 2024, the Ohio Attorney General’s office rejected the initiative’s summary language eight separate times, citing the flimsiest and laughable of arguments, preventing the organizers from legally collecting signatures. ​This series of rejections prompted legal action.

Key developments include:​ Legal Challenges. The petitioners filed lawsuits challenging the denials in both state and federal court.​ A federal court ruled that the repeated rejections likely violated the petitioners’ First Amendment rights and issued an injunction ordering the state to certify the petition.​ After the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, the summary language for the “Protecting Ohioans’ Constitutional Rights” amendment was finally certified on April 22, 2025.​ This successful legal fight cleared the way for the current signature-gathering campaign to commence.​

Current Status & Strategic Plan​: With legal hurdles cleared, OCTEQI is executing a multi-faceted strategy focused on direct engagement with the people of Ohio. STEP 1 – EDUCATE: The coalition is conducting town halls, neighborhood trainings, and college campus outreach across Ohio's 88 counties to raise awareness about qualified immunity and build grassroots support.​ STEP 2 – SUPPORT: The campaign continues to build a broad alliance of state-level advocacy groups, community organizations, public figures, and thought leaders from across the political spectrum. Proponents note that government accountability is a core principle for conservatives, libertarians, and progressives alike.​ STEP 3 – ACTION: The primary focus is collecting the thousands of valid signatures required to secure a place on the 2026 ballot. Volunteers are being organized to gather signatures and later encourage voters to support the amendment at the polls.​ 

The Impact and Why This Matters for All Ohioans: Because it will ​save lives and ensure accountability. The coalition contends that qualified immunity enables a pattern of misconduct, particularly in law enforcement, by shielding repeat offenders from consequences. By creating accountability, the amendment aims to incentivize better conduct and prevent future harm.

Saving Taxpayer Money: Ohio ranks among the highest in the nation for civil rights lawsuit payouts resulting from official misconduct. These settlements, often reaching millions of dollars, are paid by Ohio taxpayers. Proponents argue that holding individuals and agencies accountable will reduce misconduct and the associated financial burden on the public.​

Providing Justice for Families: The current system often denies victims of constitutional rights violations their day in court. This amendment would ensure that every Ohioan has a legal path to seek justice when their rights are violated by a government actor.​

For more information, to volunteer, or to donate to the campaign, please visit here. We offer some inspirational quotes from the late Congressman John Lewis to those considering collecting signatures.  

“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” - John Lewis

“Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” - John Lewis

“That is what we believed in, what we were all about – a mass movement, an irresistible movement of the masses. Not a handful of lawyers in a closed courtroom, but hundreds, thousands of everyday people – disciplined, peaceful people – taking their cause and their belief to the streets.” - John Lewis

“When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.” – From the posthumous New York Times opinion piece ‘Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation,’ published on July 30, 2020. - John Lewis

------------------------

Cynthia Brown is the founder and CEO of Heartbeat Movement Inc.