Ohio has required photo identification at the polls since a law took effect in 2023 — but that requirement exists as a statute, which a future legislature could repeal or weaken. The Ohio Senate moved Thursday, June 5, to make that harder.
Senators passed a motion to place the photo ID requirement into the Ohio Constitution itself. If the measure clears the full legislative process, it would go before Ohio voters as a constitutional amendment — locking the requirement in a way that only another statewide vote could undo.
What’s next
The Ohio Senate’s action is one step in a longer chain. A proposed constitutional amendment must pass both chambers of the General Assembly before it reaches the ballot. The Ohio House hasn’t yet weighed in, and no vote date for a statewide referendum has been set.
Whether the amendment advances through the House — and when Ohio voters might see it on a ballot — wasn’t immediately clear as of Thursday.
NBC4 WCMH-TV reported this story. Read the original report.
