On May 19, U.S. District Court Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr., a Clinton appointee, issued an order easing certain requirements for Ohio initiatives to get on the ballot. Thompson v Devine, s.d., 2:20cv-2129. The order extends the petition deadline from July 1 to July 31. It allows electronic signatures. And it dispenses with the need for a witness signature from the circulator of the petition sheet. The relief only extends to the initiatives being circulated by the groups that brought the lawsuit.

This is the first federal court decision easing ballot access requirements for initiatives in connection with the current health crisis.