President Trump Responds After Ohio Moves to Adopt Constitutional Amendment on Voter ID

Ohio just moved one step closer towards enshrining a voter ID requirement in the state’s Constitution.

Last week, the Ohio State Senate passed a bill that would put a constitutional amendment on voter ID on the ballot this November.

Check it out:

A press release from the Ohio State Senate detailed the bill further:

The Ohio Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 10, Sponsored by State Senator Jane Timken (R-Jackson Township) and State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green), which would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to enshrine Ohio’s Voter ID laws in the state’s Constitution.

“With AI being easily able to generate items like utility bills and bank statements, it is essential to constitutionally protect voter photo-ID requirements,” said Senator Timken. “This resolution ensures that it is easy to vote but hard to cheat.”

Section 1 A of the legislation states: “Electors shall provide identification in order to vote, in accordance with laws passed by the General Assembly.” Among the approved forms of photo ID are:

A driver’s license or state ID card issues by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

A United States passport or passport card.

A United States military identification card.

An Ohio National Guard card.

An identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans affairs.

The resolution also allows the General Assembly to authorize other forms of photo identification not specified in the resolution, ensuring that Ohio’s elections will remain secure as technology advances.

“Voter photo-ID requirements are widely supported by Americans,” said Senator Gavarone. “Yet in states all around the country, these election protections are being repealed. This joint resolution will allow the people of Ohio to ingrain this important election-integrity measure in our state’s constitution.”

Upon passage by the Ohio House, the proposed amendment will be place on the November ballot, requiring a simple majority vote to go into effect.

The bill still has to pass in the House, and residents of Ohio would have to vote to add the amendment before it could be adopted.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump called for Ohio to act to ensure it gets passed:

Truth Social:

Congratulations to the Ohio State Senate for passing Senate Joint Resolution 10, which would require VOTER I.D. in Ohio Elections! Democrats fought hard against this, presumably so they can CHEAT. I am now asking all of my Republican friends in the State House to, also, PASS THIS NOW, and put a Constitutional Amendment on the Ballot so that the Great People of Ohio can vote to enshrine VOTER I.D. in the State Constitution. I will be watching, and am strongly supportive of this Resolution. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

Ohio already has voter ID requirements, but a state amendment would ensure that a future Democrat legislature cannot ever reverse the current law.

If added to the ballot in November, the amendment is likely to pass, based on polling data that shows the majority of Ohioans support voter ID.

However, there are concerns that the amendment does not address the issue of mail-in ballots, since it would not require photo ID for absentee voting.

The Daily Signal has more:

“If this is passed by the voters, this will be the most stringent voter ID law in the country,” state Sen. Jane Timken, the sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 10, told the Daily Signal.

The resolution is currently in the Senate General Government Committee and is expecting a vote this week.

Although Ohio currently has voter ID, a state amendment would further solidify the law. Timken referenced Virginia as an example where voter ID was required until a later legislature “completely gutted that law and overturned it.”

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Another reason for the proposed amendment, Timken argued, is to help voter participation. “The more voters trust the election, the more they participate,” she said.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for governor, has called for a ballot initiative that would enshrine voter ID in the state constitution. State lawmakers acted quickly to introduce such an effort.

Polling from Heritage Action shows that Ohioans overwhelmingly support voter ID. On requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, 71% of Ohio voters approve. Further, 69% say those who are not citizens of the United States should not vote in U.S. elections.

As the voter ID measure makes its way through the Legislature, there are concerns that voter ID for absentee mail-in ballots needs to be addressed as well. However, Timken expressed reservations about how it could be executed effectively.

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“I understand the concern and the push to actually have a photo ID for absentee voting. My pushback on that is, in the day of AI, how do we actually ensure that if someone’s mailing in a photocopy of an alleged ID, that it’s actually legitimate?” Timken said.

“In this constitutional amendment, we have alternative means of actual verification, which is the driver’s license number or the last four of the Social Security number, which are, again, verified by the boards of elections. So, they can look that up,” she added.

HB 577, the Secure Vote Act, would require photo ID for absentee ballots cast by mail.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville, told the Daily Signal he does not support the constitutional amendment “as it’s written currently” because “it would codify the mail-in ballot loophole.”

“I believe that the amendment should be written in such a way that whatever laws the General Assembly prescribes, we have a consistent photo ID requirement,” Ferguson said.