Full statement on petition rejection

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

As first reported early Monday afternoon, a data center zoning initiative will not appear on the ballot in Van Wert this fall.

The proposed initiative would have given city residents the opportunity to repeal an ordinance passed by Van Wert City Council in May that permits data centers in I-2 zoned areas of the city.

Petitions to place the initiative on the November 3 ballot were circulated by city resident Joe Jared and others, with the idea of potentially stopping QTS from building a $10 billion data center in Van Wert.

However, petitions to get the issue on the ballot fell short of the required number of valid signatures. According to Pam Henderson, Director of the Van Wert County Board of Elections, the petitions needed 323 valid signatures, but only 255 signatures were deemed valid during the vertification process.

She also said because the petitions were submitted to the Board of Elections, new signatures cannot be added to them, effectively killing the proposal.

During Monday night’s meeting of Van Wert City Council, City Auditor Erika Blackmore read aloud a statement about the petition. This is the full text.

As the City Auditor, I am presenting the certification received from the Van Wert County Board of Elections regaring the initiative petition filed with my office.

Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 731.28, an initiative petition proposing an ordinance change must first be filed with the City Auditor. Upon receipt of the petition, I carried out the duties assigned to my offce by the Ohio Revised Code. My responsibilities in this process are administrative and procedural, as prescribed by law. They do not include determining the merits of the proposed ordinance, interpreting its legality, or deciding whether it should be adopted.

In accordance with Ohio Revised Code Sections 731.28 and 731.34, the petition remained on file in my office for the required ten (10) day statutory period following its filing. During that time, the petition was kept open for public inspection during normal business hours, as required by law, and any member of the public had the opportunity to inspect it.

At the conclusion of the ten-day statutory period, I transmitted the original petition, together with a certified copy of the proposed ordinance, to the Van Wert County Board of Elections in accordance with Ohio Revised Code Section 731.28 for examination and certification.

Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Sections 3501.11 (K) and 3501.38, the Board of Elections is responsible for examining the petition, reviewing its signatures, determining the number of valid signatures and certifying whether the petition satisfies the statutory requirements for placement on the ballot.

Today, I am presenting the Board of Elections’ certification exactly as it was received. This presentation should not be interpreted as an endorsement, recommondation, or opposition to either the petition or the proposed ordinance. My responsibility is to ensure that the procedures established by Ohio law have been followed and that the official certification of the Board of Elections is presented to Council as part of the public record.

The following Certification Statement was received in my office on Monday, July 27, 2026.

A copy of the Board of Elections’ certification has been provided to each member of Council and will be entered into the official record of these proceedings.

Blackmore attached a Certification Statement that was provided by Pam Henderson, Director of the Van Wert County Board of Elections. It reads:

I certify that the valid signatures required for the above initiative petition is 323. This is to verify that the number of valid signatures confirmed for the above initiative petition is 255 which fails to meet the number of valid signatures required for passage.

Among the typical reasons signatures may be rejected:

• Signers may not have been registered voters
• Signers may not have been city residents or registered at the address listed on the petition
• Signatures might not have matched signatures on file with the Board of Elections
• Possible errors on the circulator statement of the petition