DEMOCRACY DAY

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland pt. ONE, tit. I, ch. 106

in effect

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 106.01 Democracy Day; Public Hearing

§ 106.01 Democracy Day; Public Hearing Beginning in the year 2017, the Mayor and City Council shall designate one day in the second week of May following the November federal elections as "Democracy Day: A Call for a U.S. Constitutional Amendment." On this day, the Mayor and City Council shall sponsor a public hearing in a public space within the City. The City shall publicize the public hearing on its website and through area media at least one (1) month in advance of the hearing. The public hearing will examine the impact on the City of political contributions of corporations, unions, political action committees, and super-PACs. The Mayor and at least one (1) City Councilperson shall submit testimony at the public hearing. In addition, all citizens of Cleveland will be permitted to submit oral testimony for a period of at least five (5) minutes per citizen. The public hearing shall be held during an evening or weekend time. The City shall record the minutes of the hearing and make them available to the public no later than three (3) months after the hearing by posting them on Council's or the City's website. (Ord. No. 1059-17. Passed 9-25-17, eff. 9-27-17)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 106.02 Letter

§ 106.02 Letter Within one (1) week following the public hearing, the Clerk shall send a letter to the leaders of the Ohio House and Senate, and Cleveland's U.S. Congressional Representatives, and both Ohio U.S. Senators stating that a public hearing was held to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution declaring: (a) Only human beings, not corporations, are legal persons with constitutional rights; (b) Money is not equivalent to speech, and, therefore, regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech. (Ord. No. 1059-17. Passed 9-25-17, eff. 9-27-17)

Codified Ordinances of Cleveland § 106.03 Further Hearings

§ 106.03 Further Hearings The biennial public hearings will continue for a period of ten (10) years through May 2027 or until a constitutional amendment reflecting the principles set forth in section 106.02 is ratified by three-quarters (3/4) of state legislatures. (Ord. No. 1059-17. Passed 9-25-17, eff. 9-27-17)

Source: City of Cleveland, Ohio, Codified Ordinances and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/cleveland/latest/cleveland_oh/0-0-0-45822Fetched: 11/1/2026