Ohio Republicans are moving quickly to lock the state’s voter ID rules into the Ohio Constitution, launching a Statehouse fight that could put the issue before voters as soon as this year.
On Monday, GOP lawmakers introduced a joint resolution that would write a photo ID requirement into the state’s founding document. If voters sign off, in-person voting would require a government-issued photo ID, cementing rules Republicans first passed in statute three years ago and making them far harder to undo.
The proposed amendment would require voters to present a government-issued photo ID such as an Ohio driver’s license, state ID, U.S. passport or military ID when voting in person, according to Cleveland.com. The resolution landed the day after Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy publicly called for a similar constitutional change in an op-ed. Backers say they are merely following public opinion and, as Cleveland.com reports, hope to move the measure through both chambers before lawmakers break for summer.
Under Article XVI, Section 1 of the Ohio Constitution, an amendment proposed by the General Assembly has to clear a three-fifths vote in each chamber and be filed with the secretary of state at least 90 days before the election when it would appear on the ballot. That translates to at least 60 votes in the 99-member House and 20 votes in the 33-member Senate, according to the Ohio Secretary of State. Those supermajority thresholds and that filing clock will dictate how aggressively supporters have to move in the coming weeks.
Sen. Theresa Gavarone, who has helped shepherd recent election measures, said in a statement that “voter photo-ID requirements are consistently supported by 80% of Americans” and argued that putting the rule in the constitution would strengthen public trust in elections, Cleveland.com reported. Rep. Adam Bird described the resolution as “about protecting election integrity” and making sure Ohioans feel “completely confident” in the process. Supporters say a constitutional amendment would make the requirement far more resistant to future legislative rollbacks.
Ohio already has a photo ID rule on the books. In January 2023, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a package of election changes that included requiring an unexpired driver’s license, state ID, passport or military ID to vote in person and tightening timelines for absentee and provisional ballots, the Associated Press reported. That law triggered immediate criticism from voting-rights advocates and quickly drew legal challenges to parts of the statute.
Groups including the League of Women Voters of Ohio and the ACLU warned that the 2023 changes would put new hurdles in front of seniors, students and low-income voters, WVXU reported. Civil-rights lawyers soon went to court over pieces of the law, as detailed by Democracy Docket. Those same advocates say they are prepared to mobilize again if lawmakers try to cement the photo ID requirement in the constitution.
What’s Next in Columbus
If supporters can assemble three-fifths majorities in both chambers and beat the 90-day filing deadline, the joint resolution would be entered on the legislative journals and sent to the secretary of state for placement on a statewide ballot under Article XVI’s timetable. County boards of elections and the secretary of state would then move into their standard routines of publishing ballot language and preparing voter education materials. In practical terms, the vote math and the election calendar will decide whether Ohioans see this question on this year’s ballot.
Legal Questions and Political Stakes
Legal battles are all but guaranteed if the amendment reaches voters. Courts around the country have repeatedly weighed in on photo ID laws, and election attorneys note that even when ID rules are written into a state constitution, plaintiffs can still argue that the way they are implemented has a discriminatory effect. Civil-rights groups have kept a close eye on how Ohio’s 2023 law has played out, and national coverage of similar measures elsewhere shows mixed results in the courts, underscoring how unsettled the legal landscape remains. For now, the resolution operates as both a live legislative push and a political signal heading into the 2026 campaign season.
The next few weeks will reveal whether Ohio Republicans can transform a statutory rule into a constitutional mandate, and whether opponents can block them through lawsuits, public campaigns or at the ballot box itself. Either way, the fight will help define how Ohioans cast their votes and how campaigns court them across the state in the months ahead.
