Ohio voters will decide on November 3, 2026, whether to approve a constitutional amendment enshrining photo identification requirements for in-person voting. This follows the state legislature's approval of Senate Joint Resolution 10.
Sen. Jane Timken and Sen. Theresa Gavarone introduced the resolution. The Ohio Senate approved the resolution by a 22-9 vote on June 3, 2026. The Ohio House also approved the resolution by a 61-27 vote on June 10, 2026.
Ohio state law has required voters to present acceptable forms of photo identification since 2023. The amendment would permit the legislature to establish an alternative identity-verification process for voters with a sincere religious objection to being photographed. Voters unable to provide photo identification in person can cast a provisional ballot and present identification to a board of elections before the counting deadline.
State Representative Adam Bird said, "It's a simple proposal that will give voters the opportunity to protect the foundations of our constitutional republic, that means free and fair elections. It is a straightforward question on the ballot to the voters, should Ohio's elections be secured by government-issued photo ID requirements? These requirements ensure that we know that the person at the poll is who they say they are."
Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn said, "We are spending all of our energy and time on putting something that is already the law as it relates to voter ID into the Constitution. It's not going to change a single person's life. We already have safe and secure and stable elections." State Representative Allison Russo said, "Our current form of photo identification and the laws that govern it are working as they were intended, yet many of my colleagues across the aisle have decided today that the urgent issue of the moment is to turn this existing law that is already working into a change in our constitution."
Ohio lawmakers passed a separate bill on June 10, 2026, that requires absentee voters to submit a copy of a driver's license or state identification card starting in 2027. Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy previously stated that voter identification should be enshrined in the state constitution. Former Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed six voter fraud indictments in 2024 following 600 referrals from the Ohio Secretary of State; the individuals were accused of casting ballots between 2008 and 2020 while not being U.S. citizens.
Across the U.S., 36 states require voters to present identification, with 24 mandating photo identification. Hawaii and Virginia have repealed their voter photo identification laws. A Pew Research Center survey indicates that 83 percent of Americans support photo identification requirements for voting. The constitutional amendment is one of seven potential amendments that may qualify for the November 2026 ballot in Ohio; this includes six citizen-initiated amendments and one legislative amendment.