Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have, starting in 2027, instituted stricter ID requirements to vote by mail.
In a mad dash before summer recess, state lawmakers sent him a heavily-amended House Bill 472 two weeks ago. It originally sought to give homeless Ohioans free ID cards, but the GOP-majority Senate tacked on last-minute amendments mandating photo identification proof for absentee voting.
In a news release, DeWine said the bill was burdensome.
“(HB) 472 would not discourage fraud, would not add any real security and would create an additional and significant burden for Ohioans who vote by mail,” DeWine wrote. “This bill is not needed, because Ohio does an excellent job running elections.”
Photo ID is already required for early voting and on Election Day, and it has been since 2023. Voters statewide will decide this November whether to enshrine those requirements in the state constitution. The ballot issue will not change anything when it comes to mail-in voting.
Any veto override vote would have to be held before the end of December.
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