Journal-News.com

COLUMBUS — The lights are dimming for strippers and strip club owners who want to give voters a chance to reject a new state law regulating the clubs and other adult entertainment businesses.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Timothy Horton on Friday refused to give them two extra days to gather additional signatures to put a referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Don McTigue, attorney for backers of the ballot issue, said they would appeal Horton's order.

Also, Sandy Theis, spokeswoman for the Vote No on Issue 1 Committee, the group backing the ballot issue, said the committee would turn in an estimated 230,000 additional signatures by Friday, the deadline set by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

The initial batch of signatures turned in by the group fell nearly 116,000 short of the 241,336 required to get on the ballot. Fewer than a third of the signatures the group turned in turned out to be valid after checks by county boards of election. At that validation rate, the new batch of 230,000 signatures would fall short of meeting the required number of additional signatures.

The law bans touching between dancers and customers and requires adult entertainment businesses to close between midnight and 6 a.m. It would, however, allow clubs with liquor licenses to stay open until last call, with nudity banned after midnight.

The group had 10 additional days to gather the additional 116,000 signatures. The dispute before Horton centered on when the 10-day clock started ticking. Brunner said it was when the notice the group received from her was postmarked but McTigue contended that it was when the group received the notice. Horton sided with Brunner.

Enforcement of the law is on hold pending the possible ballot issue.

Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1608 or whershey@DaytonDailyNews.com.