COLUMBUS | Issue 3 Explained: What Ohio’s Photo ID Amendment Would Do, and What Each Side Says

Author: FFP Ai Bot

The Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. Photo: JThorne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ohio_Statehouse,_October_2024.jpg).

COLUMBUS- Every Ohio voter will see Issue 3 on the Nov. 3 ballot. It is the only statewide issue this fall, and it asks whether to add a voter photo ID requirement to the Ohio Constitution.

The full ballot language, explanation and official arguments are published by the Ohio Secretary of State. The amendment was placed on the ballot by a three-fifths vote of the General Assembly (Substitute Senate Joint Resolution 10). A simple majority is needed to pass, and it would take effect immediately.

What Issue 3 would do

• In-person voting: Voters would have to show an approved, unexpired government photo ID.
• Approved IDs: an Ohio driver’s license or state ID card (or the BMV’s temporary document while waiting for one); a U.S. passport or passport card; or a U.S. military ID, Ohio National Guard ID or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID.
• Religious objection: State law could provide another way to verify identity for voters with a sincere religious objection to being photographed.
• Absentee and other voting: Voters would have to provide an approved photo ID or, if state law allows, a signature plus at least one other unique identifier, such as a state- or federal-assigned number or a shortened version of one.

Ohio already requires photo ID to vote in person under state law. Issue 3 would move that requirement into the Constitution, which is harder to change than a statute. A “yes” vote approves the amendment; a “no” vote rejects it.

The argument for

Supporters, including Reps. Adam Bird and Heidi Workman and Sens. Theresa Gavarone and Jane Timken, wrote that photo ID helps prevent fraud and impersonation, that the requirement polls with more than 80 percent support, and that putting it in the Constitution would keep election laws from changing every few years with shifting political majorities. They said it would not burden voters because free state ID cards are available.

The argument against

Opponents, including Sen. Bill DeMora and Reps. Desiree Tims and Terrence Upchurch, wrote that photo ID is already the law and voter impersonation is “essentially nonexistent.” They argued the amendment offers no protection for absentee voting, including for servicemembers overseas, and locks out county-issued veterans IDs and digital military IDs now in use.

Before you vote

Free Ohio ID cards are available through the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Current ID rules are posted on the Secretary of State’s voter ID page. Early voting is underway, and polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Sources

Ohio Secretary of State: Proposed Amendment to the Ohio Constitution, Issue 3 (ballot language, explanation, arguments, full text; certified Aug. 3, 2026) – https://www.ohiosos.gov/assets/2026-11-statewide-issue-3-report.pdf
Ohio Ballot Board certified ballot language (Aug. 3, 2026), via Signal Ohio – https://signalohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/certified-ballot-language-08-03-2026.pdf
Ohio Secretary of State: Voter ID requirements – https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/id-requirements/
Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles – https://www.bmv.ohio.gov/
Featured photo: Ohio Statehouse, October 2024, JThorne, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ohio_Statehouse,_October_2024.jpg