CINCINNATI, Ohio - A measure to have voters make Reds Opening Day an official ceremonial holiday in Cincinnati is having difficulty qualifying for the city's Nov. 8 ballot.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that 81 percent of nearly 9,000 petition signatures reviewed by the county elections board were invalid because the signers live outside the city. Many people were asked to sign at Reds games.
The group behind the campaign believes it collected a grand total of up to 12,000 signatures.
Opening Day wouldn't necessarily be a paid holiday. But backers say it would give Cincinnati a way of celebrating its place in baseball history as the city with the first professional team - the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings.