Senate President Rob McColley (speaking) and House Speaker Matt Huffman. (Photo: Nick Evans, Ohio Capital Journal.)
Ohio Republicans are assessing whether they have enough votes to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill requiring photo ID for absentee voting.
After two weeks of protests, sending emails and leaving voicemails on the governor’s official hotline, voting rights advocates like Jen Miller say they feel heard by their Republican governor.
“I trusted DeWine to do the right thing here,” said Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “Vetoing this bill was simply common sense.”
Late Wednesday night, the governor vetoed House Bill 472, a controversial bill that would have required voters to show photo ID to cast an absentee ballot.
“This is a victory for all Ohioans who prefer to vote by mail, and that includes seniors, people with disabilities, college students and other Ohioans who simply like to be able to vote from the comfort of their own home,” Miller said.
In his veto, DeWine said the bill was “unnecessary” and did not advance the GOP goal of “election integrity,” stating that it would “fail to discourage fraud, provide no real security, and create an additional and significant burden on Ohioans voting by mail.”
“HB 472 is all burden and so little benefit,” DeWine said.
He noted that the bill contains technical errors and does not provide election officials with any funding to create a novel online portal to submit photo IDs.
CLICK HERE to read the governor’s full veto message.
“It’s very, very unfortunate that it was vetoed,” said Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson).
Thomas is one of about a dozen Republicans we spoke with who are pushing for the veto to be overridden.
“I don’t think this policy will go away anytime soon,” he added. AND
Since the bill wasn’t scheduled to go into effect until November 2027, he said the problems DeWine mentioned could have been resolved.
“There’s a reason this hasn’t been introduced for 2026 – it gives people time to really look at the phase of the legislation,” Thomas said. “There are always improvements to be made, there are always changes to be made within legislation, so this is certainly not a reason to veto.”
He denied that the legislation would only harm vulnerable Ohioans and only bad actors.
To be clear, audits by Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose found there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
“We are disappointed with the governor’s veto of House Bill 472, despite 60 of Ohio’s 65 Republican members of the House of Representatives and growing public demand for stronger election protections, including voter identity protections,” Olivia Wile, spokeswoman for House Speaker Matt Huffman, said in a statement. “We will review Governor DeWine’s concerns and evaluate next steps. The overwhelming majority of Republicans in the Ohio House of Representatives remain committed to protecting the integrity of Ohio’s election system.”
He said state Rep. Ron Ferguson (Wintersville) would vote “no” if the resolution were repealed.
“Let’s get this right rather than rushing through a bill that has a lot of holes,” said Ferguson, who was absent during the primary vote.
It takes sixty votes to overturn the governor, but at least four Republicans who voted for HB 472 told me they would not agree to replacing DeWine at this stage.
Miller knows there will likely be more changes to election laws under a GOP majority, but he hopes they will be better written and won’t disenfranchise voters.
“Making sure our elections run well and that everyone has access to their voice and is heard is more important than any single party,” Miller said.
Lawmakers are not scheduled to return from their summer recess until after the November elections.
Other reactions
knot. LaRose
“I have long been a supporter of both a stringent photo ID requirement and an online absentee ballot application system, and I told the governor that we could successfully implement this bill if he signed it. He has chosen a different path. Regardless, it is clear that we must continue to plan and move forward. I am confident that Ohioans will overwhelmingly approve the constitutional photo ID amendment this fall and that the General Assembly will reconsider this legislation.”
“My team will continue to prepare an implementation strategy for the next Secretary of State that takes into account the technology, security, testing and resources required for a reliable online absentee ballot application system. A project of this scale requires careful planning and flawless execution. My goal is to help develop lasting, defensible policy that will withstand inevitable legal challenges from groups seeking to make our elections less secure. Ohio is the nation’s gold standard for elections and will remain so.”
Republican Sec. state candidate Robert Sprague
“I support photo ID for all forms of voting, and it’s disappointing that the Governor vetoed HB 472. Photo ID is common sense, a common requirement in everyday life, and the most trustworthy way to ensure that a person is who they say they are. The legislation would provide a significant deterrent to mail-in voting fraud and make Ohio’s elections more secure, which is exactly what it’s about.”
“The bill was not a panacea, but it was a reasonable attempt to apply photo ID security equally to all voting methods. The hysteria on the photo ID left is fueled by extremists who lie about photo ID and are uncomfortable with illegal aliens voting in our elections.”
“My priority as Secretary of State is to conduct the most secure elections in Ohio’s history, and to that end, as Secretary, I will work with the Legislature and the Governor… to ensure the security of all forms of voting, prevent fraud, and catch and prosecute fraudsters.”
State Candidate Allison Russo’s Democratic Section
“I fully support Governor DeWine’s decision to veto HB472, which would create unnecessary barriers to absentee voting for eligible voters and a lack of funding for both our county boards of elections and the Secretary of State’s office. Ohio’s existing absentee voting process is secure and has worked very well for thousands of Ohioans every election cycle. As I noted during my speech opposing this legislation, the bill was rushed, half-baked, and did absolutely nothing nothing to secure Ohio’s elections.”
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This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
