In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt came to Columbus to address the Ohio Constitutional Convention as delegates reconsidered how power should be shared between government and the people.

In his landmark speech, A Charter of Democracy, Roosevelt argued that initiative and referendum should give citizens a direct path to act when representative government fails to represent them. Later that year, Ohio voters approved constitutional amendments establishing those powers.

More than a century later, his message still resonates:

“The power is the people’s, and only the people’s.”

This special presentation of Taking Initiative brings Roosevelt’s words back to life—and reconnects Ohioans with the history behind one of the most important powers reserved to them in their state constitution.

Voice of Theodore Roosevelt: Adam the Bull, host of The Bullpen with Adam the Bull. We are grateful to Adam for generously donating his voice and talent to this project.

🎙️ Hear more from Adam: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBullpenwithATB

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Learn more about Ohio’s initiative and referendum powers: https://ohioballotprotection.com/

Taking Initiative Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@OhioBallotProtection

What happens when a statewide citizen initiative hits a roadblock? Conserve Ohio attorneys Nick Owens and Austin Baurichter share how their movement is taking direct democracy local — helping Ohio communities use their own power to address mega data centers. Their work also offers a preview of what’s coming soon from Ohio Ballot Protection: a new toolkit to help Ohioans turn “What can we do?” into action.

(Taped Aug. 6, 2026)

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In this episode, Taking Initiative co-hosts Laura Lucarelli and Patricia Blackmon debrief on what they've learned while interviewing the changemakers in Ohio's direct democracy over the last few months. Plus, Pat turns the mic on Laura to learn how the podcast came to be. They talk about direct democracy, the importance of protecting the people's power, and "what's in it for all of us" by getting involved.

In our Spotlight on an Initiative, the Conserve Ohio group announces 2027 is the new target for getting on the ballot. Then three of the initiative leaders attend a weekly commissioners meeting and voice concerns with others in the community about plans for a data center being built in Adams County.

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Ohio Equal Rights and Right to Marry Amendment petitions moved their goal from getting on the ballot from 2026 to 2027.

Meet Conserve Ohio volunteer Austin Baurichter, part of the attorney duo who drafted the petition to ban mega data centers in Ohio. Austin talks about quitting his job when he found himself at a moral crossroads so he could help his neighbors through Conserve Ohio. Learn how he and a second attorney researched and carefully considered language that ultimately passed the single subject review of the Ohio Ballot Board. Listen as he describes how empowering it has been to work with people of different ideologies and backgrounds coming together for a common purpose.

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In our Spotlight on an Initiative (Ban Mega Data Centers OH Initiative), Conserve Ohio takes advantage of an opportunity to provide public testimony to Ohio's Select Committee on Data Centers. It was a long day for Nikki Gerber and others who traveled from Southern Ohio to the Statehouse to voice their opposition. Nikki shares what happened at the Statehouse and why she's grateful to all those encouraging Conserve Ohio's ballot measure.

In this episode, we sit down with Lis Regula, co-chair of the Ohio Equal Rights ballot initiative effort, to talk about how the group is moving forward after the Ohio Ballot Board split their initiative into two separate issues: equal rights and marriage equality. He shares why the group decided to move forward with both initiatives at once, and what’s surprising him about the signature-gathering process so far.

To make the ballot, a citizen initiative or referendum requires hundreds of thousands of signatures statewide. But the challenges go beyond the sheer number of signatures required. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the signature-gathering process with Richard Margolius, who shares lessons learned and roadblocks to watch for based on his experience with signature collection across several recent Ohio ballot initiative campaigns.

In this episode, Ohio Ballot Protection checks in with attendees of the Libertarian Party of Ohio's Convention in Dayton last week to hear their views on ballot initiatives and direct democracy.