CAMBRIDGE, Ohio — Fueled by growing frustration over skyrocketing property taxes, concerned residents packed the Fraternal Order of Eagles hall in Cambridge Saturday afternoon to support a push for a constitutional amendment that could eliminate property taxes in Ohio.
The event, sponsored by Citizens for Property Tax Reform, drew an inquisitive crowd in Guernsey County, one of several communities rallying behind a statewide grassroots campaign that aims to place the question of property tax abolition on the November ballot.
“We’re here because this affects everybody,” said Beth Blackmarr, Media Relations for Citizens for Property Tax Reform. “What started as a concern for senior citizens being priced out of their homes has become a crisis that’s impacting all Ohioans.”
Blackmarr explained that home valuations have surged dramatically in the past decade — in some areas, even tripling — leading to unaffordable tax bills and widespread delinquency. “In Cuyahoga County alone, we’re seeing the highest rate of delinquencies ever recorded,” she said. “People who own their homes are now losing them simply because they can’t afford the taxes. That’s unconscionable.”
The proposed amendment, officially titled “Abolishment of Taxes on Real Property,” requires at least 413,000 valid signatures from registered voters across at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. But organizers are aiming for 600,000 signatures by July 1 to ensure a safe margin before verification in Columbus.
To meet that goal, Citizens for Property Tax Reform and its allies have established “signing stations” at businesses and public gathering spots in more than 60 counties, including Guernsey and neighboring Jefferson County.
“People must sign in person,” Blackmarr emphasized. “Since this is a constitutional amendment, state law requires signatures to be witnessed by a certified circulator. Online petitions are not allowed.”
While the Cambridge event was more structured, most signature gathering takes place in storefronts and community centers.
If the effort falls short of the July deadline, organizers plan to continue pushing for the measure to appear on the May 2026 ballot instead.
“We’re not going away,” said Blackmarr. “We’re committed to ending the cycle of fear and displacement property taxes have caused in this state.”
Citizens for Property Tax Reform is a partner organization of Ax Ohio Tax which recently filed a proposed constitutional amendment titled “Abolishment of Taxes on Real Property” with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
You can view the filing to add this item to the ballot here:
River News Network is sponsoring the campaign in eastern Ohio counties. Check back here for more information, a copy of the legislation, and petition signing locations.
