Darryl Tanner Invests Heavily in Columbus Ballot Measures

A prominent donor is funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars into political action committees ahead of local elections.

Updated on Oct. 23, 2026 in Elections

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of tiered stone steps and a minimalist column, representing the restructuring of municipal government. — Darryl Tanner has contributed over $300,000 to local PACs supporting ballot measures that would reorganize the Columbus City Council structure. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Does large-scale spending by independent groups undermine the fairness of local city elections?

Darryl Tanner has invested more than $300,000 into the Voters Have Choices PAC to influence the outcomes of Issue 8 and Issue 9 in Columbus. The funds are being used to support a transition to district-based elections while opposing competing proposals.

Why it matters

The outcome of these measures will determine the future structure of the Columbus City Council, including whether the body moves to district-based elections or adds new at-large members.

The Voters Have Choices PAC currently holds more than $100,000 in cash-on-hand, while the Our City Our Say coalition has raised over $38,000 from nearly 300 individual contributions.

The players

Darryl Tanner

He is a political donor who has funneled significant capital into local political action committees to influence municipal election outcomes.

Voters Have Choices

This political action committee is registered to a Columbus home address and is currently actively opposing Issue 9.

Our City Our Say

This coalition is leading the effort to transition the Columbus City Council to district-based elections.

Khia Asylum LLC

This firm was hired by Darryl Tanner to provide services for his political campaign finance efforts.

The details

Tanner hired Khia Asylum LLC to manage the financial push through the Voters Have Choices PAC, which also provided a $34,000 in-kind contribution to the Our City Our Say coalition. Our City Our Say previously collected over 23,000 signatures to qualify Issue 8 for the upcoming ballot.

In 2026, Our City Our Say collected over 23,000 signatures for the ballot initiative.
Campaign finance records documenting the PAC activity were filed on October 24, 2026.
The Columbus municipal election on Issue 8 and Issue 9 is scheduled for November 3, 2026.

Political Context

These initiatives seek to overhaul the current governance model defined by the Columbus city charter. Opposition groups argue that the proposed shift to district-based elections could reduce the representative nature of at-large council seats.

Residents will head to the polls on November 3 to cast their votes on these structural changes to the city council. The result of the election will directly determine the future composition and election process for local legislative representation.

The takeaway

Voters should be aware that the massive influx of outside capital is primarily focused on changing how council members are selected. Citizens should review the specific language of both Issue 8 and Issue 9 to understand how the proposed changes affect their district representation.