Ohio Republicans consider overriding DeWine’s veto of a voter photo ID bill

Ohio Republicans are evaluating whether they have the votes to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill that would have required a photo ID to vote by mail.

DeWine vetoed House Bill 472 on Wednesday, saying that it was “not needed” and that it’s “all burden for so little benefit.”

“Very, very unfortunate that it was vetoed,” state Rep. David Thomas, R-Jefferson, told News 5 Cleveland, adding that he is one of the Republicans who wants to override the veto. “It’s a policy I don’t think will be going away anytime soon.”

Thomas told the news outlet that the issues with the bill mentioned by DeWine could have been resolved before November 2027, when the bill could have gone into effect.

“There’s a reason that this was not put in place for 2026 — that gives time for folks to really see, actually, in the phase-in side of the legislation,” he added to the Cleveland television station. “There’s always improvements, always changes with pieces of legislation, so that is certainly not a reason to veto.”

Thomas also said that the bill would have hurt only bad actors, not law-abiding Ohioans.

“I don’t know why he vetoed that,” state Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp., told the Dayton Daily News.

Ohio State Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, also wasn’t happy about DeWine’s decision to veto the bill.

“We are disappointed by the Governor’s veto of House Bill 472, despite 60 out of 65 Republican members of the Ohio House and growing public demand for stronger election safeguards, including voter ID protections,” Huffman’s spokesperson, Olivia Wile, told News 5 Cleveland. “We will review Governor DeWine’s concerns and evaluate next steps. The overwhelming majority of Ohio House Republicans remain committed to protecting the integrity of Ohio’s election system.”

However, at least four Republican lawmakers told the news outlet that they would not attempt to override DeWine’s vote at this point. One of those Republicans is state Rep. Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville.

“Let’s get it right, rather than trying to hurry through a bill that has a lot of holes,” Ferguson, who voted neither for nor against the bill, said.

At least 60 votes are needed to override DeWine’s veto.

I’ve long been an advocate for both a strict photo ID requirement and an online absentee ballot application system, and I told the governor we could effectively implement the bill if he signed it. He chose a different path. Regardless, it’s clear that we need to continue planning…

— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) June 25, 2026

Republican Secretary of State nominee Robert Sprague, if he wins the race, would use all the resources and tools provided by his predecessor to ensure that people who vote by mail must provide a photo ID.

“I support photo ID for all forms of voting, and it’s disappointing that the Governor has vetoed HB 472,” he said in a post to X. “Photo ID is a common sense, commonplace requirement in everyday life and the most trustworthy means of ensuring that a person is who they say they are.  The legislation would have served as a significant deterrent to mail-in voter fraud and made Ohio elections more secure, which is the point.”

Sprague added that even though the bill was not perfect, it could have helped Ohio to prevent voter fraud.

I support photo ID for all forms of voting, and it’s disappointing that the Governor has vetoed HB 472.  Photo ID is a common sense, commonplace requirement in everyday life and the most trustworthy means of ensuring that a person is who they say they are.  The legislation would…

— Robert Sprague (@RobertCSprague) June 25, 2026

Meanwhile, Democratic Secretary of State nominee Allison Russo told the news outlet that she is glad that DeWine vetoed the bill because it “would have created unnecessary barriers to mail-in voting for eligible voters and unfunded mandates for both our County Boards of Elections and the Secretary of State’s office.”

“I fully support Governor DeWine’s decision to veto HB472, which would have created unnecessary barriers to mail-in voting for eligible voters and unfunded mandates for both our County Boards of Elections and the Secretary of State’s office,” she said in a Facebook post. “Ohio’s existing mail-in voting process is secure and has worked very well for thousands of Ohioans during every election cycle. As I noted during my floor speech opposing this legislation, this bill was rushed, half-baked, and did absolutely nothing to secure Ohio’s elections.”

Jen Miller, executive director at the League of Women Voters of Ohio, also thanked DeWine for his veto.

“By passing this legislation, you would ultimately be taking the vote away from countless Baby Boomers and voters with disabilities — many of whom cannot easily make it to the BMV and use county-issued IDs when they do need identification for non-election matters,” Miller told the Vindicator.