State Representative, District 25

Cecil Thomas is a Democrat who has represented House District 25 since January 2023 after eight years in the Ohio Senate and eight years on Cincinnati City Council¹. He spent 27 years as a Cincinnati police officer, retiring in 2000, and then led the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission¹. He is unopposed in the November 2026 general election².

Where they stand 13 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• GunsAdd universal background checks and red-flag lawshigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • Primary sponsor of House Bill 45 to prohibit certain firearm transfers without a background check and House Bill 46, the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. (2025) source
  • Primary sponsor of House Bill 337 to require trigger locks with dealer sales and House Bill 350 on devices that accelerate a firearm's rate of fire. (2025) source
  • Voted no on Senate Bill 215, which lets adults who may legally own a gun carry a concealed handgun without a permit (Senate votes, 23 to 8 and 24 to 9). (2022-03-02) source
  • Voted no on House Bill 99, which allows school boards to let trained staff carry guns in schools (Senate vote, 23 to 9). (2022-06-01) source
  • As a co-chair of the Ohio Gun Violence Prevention Caucus, said communities are tired of mourning while gun violence prevention measures sit untouched in committee. (2026-06-08) source
• Death penaltyAbolish it and use life without parole insteadmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Cosponsor of House Bill 259 to abolish the death penalty in Ohio. (2023) source
• Policing and crimeFund police and add reforms like body cameras and use-of-force limitsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Joint primary sponsor of House Bill 691, the Community and Police Protection Act, to regulate law enforcement officers' use of masks. (2026) source
  • Cosponsor of House Bill 667, which requires GPS monitoring of offenders released from prison and expands courts' ability to imprison repeat offenders on post-release control. (2026) source
  • Voted yes on House Bill 230, which increases penalties for drug trafficking above certain amounts and adds fentanyl awareness instruction in schools (80 to 13). (2024-04-24) source
• Minimum wageRaise it to around $15medium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Cosponsor of House Bill 34 to raise Ohio's minimum wage in steps to 15 dollars an hour by 2030, then adjust it for inflation. (2025) source
• HealthcareGovernment-run coverage for everyone (Medicare for All)medium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Cosponsor of House Bill 289, which would create the Ohio Health Care Plan, a state single-payer plan giving universal coverage to all Ohio residents. (2025) source
• Mandatory minimumsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Cosponsored and voted yes on House Bill 230, which increases penalties for drug trafficking above certain amounts, adds fentanyl awareness instruction in schools and covers other subjects (80 to 13). (2024-04-24) source
  • Cosponsored and voted yes on House Bill 88, which modifies penalties for drug trafficking and possession and adds fentanyl awareness instruction in schools (71 to 18). (2025-11-19) source
• Gender care for minorsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on House Bill 68, which bars gender transition treatments such as puberty blockers and hormones for minors and requires school and college sports teams to be designated by sex (64 to 28 and 62 to 27) and no on the veto override (65 to 28). (2024-01-10) source
• Transgender athletesNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on House Bill 68, which also requires school sports teams to be designated by sex, and no on the veto override. (2024-01-10) source
• DEI programsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on Senate Bill 1, which bars state universities from operating diversity, equity and inclusion offices, required DEI training and DEI-based scholarships (59 to 34). (2025-03-19) source
• Election rulesNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on House Bill 458, an elections bill that requires photo identification to vote, changes absentee voting rules and makes other election law changes (Senate vote, 24 to 7). (2022-12-13) source
  • Voted no on Senate Joint Resolution 10, which puts a photo ID requirement for voting into the Ohio Constitution (62 to 30). (2026-06-10) source
• MarijuanaNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on the House version of Senate Bill 56, which revised the adult-use marijuana law that voters approved in 2023 (52 to 34). (2025-11-19) source
• Curriculum and booksNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on House Bill 8, the Parents' Bill of Rights, which requires schools to notify parents about instructional material with sexuality content and student health matters and to adopt policies for released time religious instruction (65 to 29 and 57 to 31). (2024-12-18) source
• Ranked-choice votingNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on Senate Bill 63, which generally prohibits the use of ranked choice voting in Ohio elections (House vote, 65 to 27). (2026-02-25) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Business regulation, Abortion, Immigration, Energy and climate, School choice, Housing and growth, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Qualified immunity, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Religion in schools, China policy.