No system is perfect, but Ohio’s elections are among the most secure and effective in the nation.
Voters know this. So do those working in Ohio’s bipartisan-run county boards of elections, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Gov. Mike DeWine.
Yet despite LaRose’s repeated proclamation that voter fraud in Ohio is extremely rare — a fact that undercuts his own actions to restrict voting — the GOP campaign to discredit and destabilize the system continues.
Ohio’s latest example is legislation approved June 10 by the Ohio House and Senate that would require a photo ID to vote by mail starting in 2027, a ridiculous and cumbersome requirement that would do nothing to stop fraud.
We urge DeWine, a Republican like all but one of Ohio’s statewide officeholders, to veto the bill when it reaches his desk.
Aside from requiring voters to provide a copy of their photo ID with their absentee ballot application or ballot, the bill would:
Unintended consequences
Both Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, and LaRose – often adversaries on voting issues – have both raised concerns about the bill, which began as a bipartisan effort to help homeless Ohioans obtain free birth certificates and state ID cards.
Miller called the bill confusing, sloppy and a potential threat to voter privacy because of the portal system, according to the Statehouse News Bureau.
LaRose said he worried the bill was rushed.
“I have a general concern that when something like this is done this quickly, there can be unintended consequences,” LaRose said.
Voting by mail is popular with Republicans and Democrats. According to LaRose’s office, 31% of the 5.9 million Ohioans who voted in the 2024 general election voted absentee.
The percentage of voters who cast ballots by mail in Ohio nearly mirrored what happened nationally that year, according to an analysis by The States United Democracy Center, an elections organization.
It found that a third of white voters voted by mail. As did 33% of suburban, 38% of city voters, and 24% of rural voters.
About 1 in 4 Democrats and 1 in 5 Republicans and independent voters voted by mail. Voters age 65 and older were the most likely to vote by mail at 40%. A little less than a third of voters in other age groups used the option.
A pattern of restricting access
The Ohio GOP’s push to limit voting access accelerated after now-President Donald Trump stoked unfounded fears about election integrity ahead of the 2020 election.
That year, under LaRose’s direction, counties were limited to a single ballot drop box each – regardless of population.
In 2023, House Bill 458 imposed sweeping changes, including requiring a state-issued photo ID for in-person voting.
Although it is already state law, legislators, with the support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, approved putting a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to require a photo ID to vote at the polls.
Before House Bill 458 became law, bank statements, current utility bills, and government checks were among the documents that could be used for ID or proof of residency. The bill also made changes to early voting days, documents required for voter registration, and curbside and absentee voting.
After losing a federal court challenge to House Bill 458 from a woman with disabilities, LaRose changed the rules for drop box absentee ballots ahead of the 2024 November election. He barred people from dropping off ballots on behalf of both relatives and those with disabilities.
Last year, the General Assembly passed a law that requires absentee ballots be received by election officials before polls close on Election Day.
Republican politicians say the changes are needed to secure our elections even though there is no evidence that Ohio elections are in jeopardy.
In 2024, then-Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost oversaw the indictments of six noncitizens on charges of illegal voting from a list of 600 names provided LaRose.
It has been a flop that, thus far, has led to an acquittal, a slap on the wrist, and the embarrassing revelation that one of the accused was dead.
Requiring a copy of a photo ID to be included with mail-in ballots will unnecessarily make voting harder for Republicans, Democrats and independents.
Ohio elections are safe, effective and critical to our democracy. This bill solves nothing and risks stealing away rights.
DeWine should use his pen to stop this unnecessary and harmful bill from becoming law. We encourage you to contact the governor’s office to let your voice be heard.
Ohioans do not need more barriers. We need leaders willing to defend an election system that works.
This piece was written by Dispatch Opinion Editor Amelia Robinson on behalf of the editorial board of The Columbus Dispatch. Editorials are fact-based assessments of issues of importance to the communities we serve. These are not the opinions of our reporting staff members, who strive for neutrality in their reporting.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: DeWine must veto Ohio’s latest brazen attack on voting rights | Our view
Reporting by The Dispatch Editorial Board, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By The Dispatch Editorial Board, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
