Ohio Rev. Code § 145.054

September 30, 2025 House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly (A) No person shall knowingly fail to file a complete and accurate campaign finance statement or independent expenditure statement in accordance with section 145.053 of the Revised Code. (B) No person, during the course of a person seeking nomination for, or during any campaign for, election to the public employees retirement board, shall knowingly and with intent to affect the nomination or the outcome of the campaign do any of the following by means of campaign materials, an advertisement on radio or television or in a newspaper or periodical, a public speech, press release, or otherwise: (1) With regard to a candidate, identify the candidate in a manner that implies that the candidate is a member of the board or use the term "re-elect" when the candidate is not currently a member of the board; (2) Make a false statement concerning the formal schooling or training completed or attempted by a candidate; a degree, diploma, certificate, scholarship, grant, award, prize, or honor received, earned, or held by a candidate; or the period of time during which a candidate attended any school, college, community technical school, or institution; (3) Make a false statement concerning the professional, occupational, or vocational licenses held by a candidate, or concerning any position the candidate held for which the candidate received a salary or wages; (4) Make a false statement that a candidate or board member has been indicted or convicted of a theft offense, extortion, or other crime involving financial corruption or moral turpitude; (5) Make a statement that a candidate has been indicted for any crime or has been the subject of a finding by the Ohio elections commission, the secretary of state, or the Ohio election integrity commission without disclosing the outcome of any legal proceedings resulting from the indictment or finding; (6) Make a false statement that a candidate or board member has a record of treatment or confinement for mental disorder; (7) Make a false statement that a candidate or board member has been subjected to military discipline for criminal misconduct or dishonorably discharged from the armed services; (8) Falsely identify the source of a statement, issue statements under the name of another person without authorization, or falsely state the endorsement of or opposition to a candidate by a person or publication; (9) Make a false statement concerning the voting record of a candidate or board member; (10) Post, publish, circulate, distribute, or otherwise disseminate a false statement concerning a candidate, either knowing the same to be false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not, if the statement is designed to promote the election, nomination, or defeat of the candidate. Last updated July 22, 2025 at 10:49 AM