Voting booths. (Photo: Seth Tupper, States Newsroom.)
Ohioans will vote in November on a constitutional amendment requiring photo ID to vote after Republican state lawmakers passed a ballot measure on Wednesday.
Ohio Republicans are trying to put voter photo ID, enshrined in the state constitution, on the ballot
They presented the proposal a few weeks ago.
Ohio law already requires citizens to provide photo ID before voting thanks to: bill passed by MPs in 2022 and entered into force in 2023.
The Ohio House passed Joint resolution of the Senate 10 61-27 during Wednesday’s marathon session. Approval of the resolution required 60% of the members of the Ohio House, as in Ohio It passed the Senate easily last week.
“This is a simple proposal that will give (voters) the opportunity to protect the foundations of our constitutional republic, which means free and fair elections,” said state Rep. Adam Bird, R-New Richmond.
“It’s a simple question that’s on the ballot for voters – should Ohio’s elections be secured by government-issued photo ID requirements? These requirements give us confidence that the person voting is who they say they are.”
Democratic lawmakers said the law is now ready and working.
“Our current form of photo identification and the laws that govern it are working as intended, but many of my colleagues across the aisle decided today that the urgent issue right now… is to turn existing law that already works into an amendment to our constitution,” said state Rep. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington.
Ohio Minority Leader Denmark Isaacsohn, D-Cincinnati, also noted existing law.
“We are devoting all of our energy and time to putting something in the Constitution that is already law when it comes to voter identification,” he added. he said.
“It won’t change a single person’s life.[…]We already have safe and stable elections.”
He showed the Pew Research Center 83% of Americans require support photo ID to vote. Critics say Republicans want the voting amendment to boost voter turnout, but… Republican leaders deny that this is so.
– said Republican candidate for Ohio governor Vivek Ramaswamy Ohio must write voter ID into the state constitution.
Ohio State Sens. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, and Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, introduced the resolution a few weeks later Ramaswamy shared his stance on voter ID in Ohio.
A valid photo ID includes a valid driver’s license, state ID card, passport, U.S. Military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card, or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.
If an Ohio voter is unable to present a valid photo ID in person on Election Day, the joint resolutions will allow the voter to temporarily cast a ballot and present a photo ID to the board of elections before the ballot counting deadline.
Former Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost was born six indictments for voter fraud in 2024 after receiving 600 reports of alleged voter fraud from the Ohio Secretary of State. The defendants were charged with voting on at least one occasion between 2008 and 2020, even though they were not U.S. citizens at the time.
Hawaii AND Virginia there were laws regarding voter photo ID requirements, but these laws were repealed.
Ohio Democratic lawmakers introduced several amendments in the House, but they were not adopted.
Follow Ohio Capital Journal reporter Megan Henry on X Or on Bluesky.
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