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The Ohio Senate
136th General Assembly
My Ohio Legislature
 
 

Ohio General Assembly Leadership Endorses Constitutional Amendment for Voter ID

Elevates Election Security to Highest Level of Ohio Law
By John Fortney
May 21, 2026
On The Record
 

Elevating the security and integrity of Ohio's elections is a critical issue worthy of Ohio's Constitution.

Senate President Rob McColley Joined by Speaker Huffman and Members of House and Senate

 

Wednesday, Senate President Rob McColley was joined by House Speaker Matt Huffman, Senator Jane Timken, Representative Adam Bird, and Representative Heidi Workman to announce the introduction of a Joint Resolution that would allow voters to make voter identification and photo id a constitutional requirement for Ohio elections.

Ohio Revised Code currently requires that a valid photo identification be shown at the polls, however some states have decided to change the law and no longer require that level of identification.

President McColley Answers Questions from Statehouse Reporters

 

"This is important for a variety of reasons," said President McColley. "I think it's important to offer the voters the opportunity to decide for themselves about whether they want to put this in the Constitution offering it the highest possible level of protection to secure the system that they have in place, to secure the fundamental right of voting and maintain that confidence in our election system in Ohio."

Senator Jane Timken is co-sponsoring the Joint Resolution in the Senate with Senator Theresa Gavarone. "The voters want security in their elections," said Senator Timken. "Voters need to know that when someone goes to vote that it is the actual person who is registered to vote and we do that by photo id.

Constitutional Amendment Cosponsor Senator Jane Timken

 

If passed by the voters this fall, Senate Joint Resolution 10 will require the following:

  • A driver's license or state ID card issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
  • A United States passport or passport card.
  • A United States military identification card.
  • An Ohio National Guard card.
  • An identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans affairs.

Hearings will be held in the Senate's General Government Committee which is chaired by Senator Kristina Roegner.

General Government Committee Chairwoman Kristina Roegner

 

Both the House and Senate must pass the Joint Resolution by 3/5 of each chamber which requires 20 votes in the Senate and 60 in the House for it to appear as a Constitutional Amendment on the November ballot.

Watch highlights and additional comments from the news conference.