State ex rel. McCormick v. Fouts
State ex rel. McCormick v. Fouts
Opinion of the Court
This is an original action in mandamus upon the relation of an elector of the city of Coshocton, Ohio, to compel the deputy state supervisors of elections for Coshocton county to submit to the qualified electors of that city, at the ne?ct general election, the question “Shall a commission be chosen to frame a charter.”
Prior to September 2, 1921, a petition was circulated among the citizens of Coshocton, and signed by more than ten per cent, of the electors, requesting the city council to pass an ordinance under and by virtue of Section 8, Article XVIII of the Ohio Constitution, and on that date the city council at special meeting under suspension of the rules passed such an ordinance by more than a two-thirds vote, and, thereafter, on September 6, 1921, filed the original ordinance, signed by the president of council, attested by the clerk of council and approved by the mayor, with the deputy state supervisors of elections of Coshocton county. The board of elections after due consideration refused to submit the question to the electors, on two grounds: first, that the petition filed with the city council was not sufficient or valid in law; and, second, that the ordinance was not properly passed, authenticated or certified to the board of elections. All the foregoing matters are sufficiently alleged in the pleadings to raise the issues.
Seven objections are urged to the sufficiency of the original petitions, which petitions are intro
It is claimed that the ordinance was not properly passed for the reason that it was not attested by the clerk, but by one W. R. Davis, a person other than the clerk. The testimony discloses, however, that W. R. Davis had been elected clerk pro tem. in the absence of the regular clerk, and his signature must be held to properly attest the ordinance.
It is next claimed that the ordinance was not properly certified to the board of deputy state supervisors. The original ordinance was introduced in evidence and shows upon its face that it was filed with the board of elections on September 6th, and
During the hearing it developed that the required ten-day period after the first publication of the ordinance had not elapsed before the sixty-day period prior to the general election had begun to run. Even this difficulty is obviated by -the language of Section 8 which provides that the question must be submitted at the next regular election if one shall occur not less than sixty days “after its passage.” It is clear, therefore, that in order that the ordinance may become effective in time to hold the election, it is only necessary that it should be passed not less than sixty days before the election.
A question was also made about the ordinance not having been adopted upon a yea and nay vote properly recorded. It is, however, provided in Section 4224, General Code, that “this shall not apply to the ordering of an election.” This ordinance was clearly for the purpose of ordering an election and the yea and nay vote was therefore not obligatory.
It is therefore the finding of this court that though the petitions were not sufficient the council nevertheless passed an ordinance which appears to have been passed voluntarily and without reference to the petitions; that the same was passed by more
Writ allowed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.