MANSFIELD — A citizen’s group that accumulated nearly 3,400 validated signatures to get a win/solar issue on the 2026 ballot celebrated their accomplishment with a press release outlining their beliefs on Friday.
“Over 100 people circulated the petition throughout the county and in three weeks gathered over 4,300 signatures,” said Christina O’Millian, Co-chair and treasurer of the Property Rights and Job Development group.
“The people signed for a variety of reasons. Some believed it violated the property rights of individuals. Others believed in the need for more renewable energy sources, and many found it made no sense to ban projects before even looking at them.”
On Wednesday, the Richland County Board of Elections certified a citizen-initiated petition to put the issue on the May 2026 ballot.
Board of Elections Director Matt Finfgeld said Wednesday the bipartisan board unanimously validated 3,380 signatures — 60 more than were needed to put the issue on the ballot.
A total of 3,320 voter signatures were needed, representing 8 percent of county voters who participated in the most recent gubernatorial election.
More than 4,300 signatures were collected during the drive, according to organizers, which they said was a bipartisan effort.
Richland County Commissioners reacted to the ballot issue in an exclusive story with Richland Source on Thursday.
“It’s basically a zoning issue,” Commissioner Cliff Mears said. “The townships have spoken. They have said whether they want (large wind or solar projects) or not.
“Many of the signatures gathered (for the petition) were from incorporated areas such as Mansfield that are not impacted by the (commissioners’) decision. In other words, they could vote for this, but they’re voting for somebody else’s zoning issue, which has already been determined by the township trustees,” Mears said.
“So that’s the problem I have with it.”
Both sides of the issue have accused the other of misinformation. The entire press release issued by the Property Rights and Job Development group is posted in the PDF below.