Enshrining voter ID on amendment on Ohio’s November ballot

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(The Center Square) – Showing a government-issued photo identification before voting could become enshrined in Ohio’s constitution, even though it is already state law.

The state ballot board has approved Issue 3, which was passed by the Ohio General Assembly, to be on the ballot in November.

“If approved, the proposed amendment would require Ohio voters to present a government-issued photo identification in order to vote,” a summary of the amendment states. “To vote in person, voters would be required to present one of the specific types of government-issued photo identification listed. In-person voters who do not possess photo identification because of a sincere religious objection to being photographed would be permitted to provide an alternative verification of their identity, as provided by Ohio law.”

This is the only amendment voters will be asked to decide in November, Ben Kindel, communications director for the Ohio Secretary of State, told The Center Square.

“The deadline has passed to place any additional issues on the ballot,” Kindel said.

Voter ID is already required by state law, even if it is not in the state constitution.

But some legislators worried a future General Assembly could revoke the voter ID requirement, so they supported a constitutional amendment as a safeguard.

“Having voter ID in the constitution is about ensuring long-term security in our elections,” Sen. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, said in presenting the bill to the Senate. “Photo ID for voting helps secure the bedrock democratic principle of one person, one vote.”

She pointed to Virginia as a reason for enshrining the voter identification requirement in the constitution.

“Virginia indeed passed photo ID laws, however, after several years of operation, surviving judicial challenges, Virginia repealed its photo ID requirement in 2020 after a single seat in the General Assembly flipped,” the senator said.

But Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, called the proposed constitutional amendment a political ploy to “prop up” the Republican nominee for governor, Vivek Ramaswamy.

“This resolution does not protect Ohioans because it’s already the law in Ohio,” DeMora said.