Ohio lawmakers put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November to enshrine voter ID requirements.

If passed in November, the amendment would enshrine Ohio’s existing voter photo ID requirement into the Ohio Constitution. Under current law (passed in 2022, taking effect in 2023), Ohioans must present a government-issued photo ID to vote in person. The proposed amendment would make that requirement permanent and constitutional, limiting the ability of future General Assemblies to modify or repeal it. A simple majority of voters would be required for the amendment to take effect.

Voter ID is already state law. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Ohio. Yet lawmakers fast-tracked a constitutional amendment to permanently lock in voter ID requirements. The Constitution should protect voting rights broadly, not lock in specific requirements that could prevent voter access down the road. This isn’t about election security. It’s about who gets to participate in our democracy.

Why this matters:

• There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Ohio, even prior to the photo ID law taking effect in 2023. This amendment is a solution to a problem that does not exist.
• Embedding the requirement in the Constitution removes future flexibility to respond to unintended consequences or access barriers.
• The proposed amendment does not constitutionally guarantee free ID cards, despite existing state law providing for them — a future legislature could eliminate that access while the requirement remained constitutionally protected.
• Critics from both the left and right have raised concerns, suggesting this is not simply a partisan divide.
• The resolution was fast-tracked in a midterm year following a call by the Republican gubernatorial candidate for this action. Republican leaders have denied political intent, but Democratic leaders and good government advocates have been direct in their skepticism.
• At a House committee hearing, 78 individuals and organizations testified in opposition. Only one Ohio group testified in support.
• The ACLU and other opponents have raised concerns that resolution language could eventually be used to restrict early or absentee voting, even as sponsors deny this intent.
• College students and young voters without driver’s licenses are specifically disadvantaged, as student IDs are not accepted under the proposed amendment.