Ohio voters likely will be asked this November to add an existing voter ID law to the state constitution, thanks to a measure that advanced Tuesday at the Statehouse.
Republicans on the state Senate General Government Committee voted to advance Senate Joint Resolution 10. The measure would ask voters to approve a state constitutional amendment that would require voters to show a photo ID when voting in person – either on Election Day or at a county board of elections during in-person early voting.
Under the amendment, voters could still provide an alternative form of ID – like the last four digits of their Social Security number – when filling out an absentee ballot, also known as a mail ballot.
What happens next
Tuesday’s committee vote sets up the measure to be approved by the full Senate as soon as Wednesday. The Ohio House, which, like the Senate, is dominated by Republicans, is working on its own version of the measure.
Both chambers would have to agree on a final version for it to land on the November ballot. GOP leaders have said they hope that happens before lawmakers break for the summer later this month.
Because it changes the state constitution, a majority of voters would then have to approve the amendment for it to take effect.
The arguments for and against the amendment
Republicans have described the amendment as a way to strengthen the state’s existing photo ID requirement, which has been in place since 2023. Federal courts have struck down similar requirements in other states, although Ohio’s photo ID law has already survived a legal challenge in federal court filed by a Democratic law firm.
Democrats, meanwhile, have said the amendment is unnecessary and likely a ploy by Republicans to mobilize their voters in what could be a difficult election year. Democratic lawmakers previously opposed adding the existing photo ID law when Republicans passed it three years ago.
Ohio Senate President Rob McColley has denied there’s a political intent behind the amendment. McColley, who is Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s running mate, cited the consistent broad support similar requirements get in political polls.
“Seeing this as turnout juice or anything like that is not backed up by the polling data,” McColley said last month at a press conference where the amendment was announced.
Comments from voting-rights advocates, many of whom are left-leaning, generally mirror Democratic concerns. Critics say strict voter ID requirements can pose a barrier to certain groups – such as the elderly, poorer Ohioans, students and racial minorities – who either are more likely to move frequently or who are less likely to have a valid, current ID.
The amendment has also faced backlash from the political right. Marcell Strbich, an activist who lost in May’s Republican primary for Secretary of State, and Ohio Gun Owners, a far-right gun rights group, have criticized the amendment for not also requiring a photo ID for mail voting.
What are Ohio’s photo ID requirements?
Ohio requires voters to provide a photo ID to vote in person.
Acceptable forms of ID are:
- Driver’s license
- State photo ID
- A temporary ID issued by a BMV
- A passport or passport card
- A U.S. or state military ID
College IDs are not accepted.
The amendment keeps those rules intact, which means if voters approve it, nothing will change immediately.
But it contains language explicitly stating the legislature could change voting requirements at some point in the future – such as by adding a signature-matching requirement to mail ballots.
The Senate General Government Committee tweaked this section of the amendment before passing it on Tuesday.
Sen. Theresa Gavarone, a Bowling Green Republican who chairs the Senate general government committee, said the current amendment language is meant to basically enshrine the current voter ID law in the constitution while also leaving room for lawmakers to make additional changes in the future.
“When you’re talking about changing the constitution, we want to make sure that we are leaving things open for future changes in technology and future changes that we might not be able to anticipate,” Gavarone said. “So the language is broad, but we wanted to set minimum standards.”
Sen. Bill DeMora, a Columbus Democrat, said the amendment is an example of Republicans wanting to make it harder to vote and is an attempt by the GOP to improve their chances this November.
“This is just something that their governor candidate, who’s underwater … has to have, because he thinks it’s going to help him get votes,” DeMora said.
