Ohioans vote to enshrine voter ID in state constitution

Ohioans voted for a constitutional amendment to enshrine voter ID in the state constitution.

Numbers from the Secretary of State’s Office showed Ohioans voted 2-to-1 in favor of the amendment.

“With the passage of Issue 3, voters have enshrined commonsense voter ID protections in our state constitution,” Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in a post to X. “A historic day for Ohio and a strong statement in support of secure elections!”

A win for election integrity in Ohio! 🇺🇸

Ohioans turned out in record numbers and made their voices heard. With the passage of Issue 3, voters have enshrined commonsense voter ID protections in our state constitution.

A historic day for Ohio and a strong statement in support of…

— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) November 4, 2026

Ohio law already required photo identification for in-person voting, so approving the amendment would not lead to an immediate, noticeable change.

However, Issue 3, which Secretary of State Frank LaRose proposed in August, enshrines the requirement in the state constitution, making it harder for future lawmakers to alter or eliminate it.

Buckeye State voters could previously use several items for identification, including a U.S. passport or passport card, U.S. military or military dependent identification, and a current Ohio driver’s license. The amendment essentially preserves the list of acceptable identification.

The new amendment also allows lawmakers to maintain an exemption for voters with a sincere religious objection to being photographed.

Although it includes language addressing voters who do not cast their ballots in person, Issue 3 allows state law to let mail voters use a signature and at least one other unique identifier instead of photo identification. Lawmakers could tackle that issue via legislation.