A voter ID requirement is common-sense & we should codify it in Ohio’s Constitution. Our legislature should give Ohioans a chance to vote on it this November. If Washington D.C. can’t pass the SAVE America Act, Ohio should achieve its goals on our own terms. I lay out the case in my hometown newspaper today: In 1787 Benjamin Franklin was asked what kind of government America had: “A Republic, if you can keep it.” In Ohio, we intend to. That’s why we require our citizens show a photo identification before voting. But that requirement is fragile; captured only in the legislative code, and subject to the whims of state lawmakers, judges and the political winds that blow them in. To truly protect our voter identification laws, we must enshrine them in our State Constitution. Fortunately, we the people have both the power and the political will to do just that. The time to act is now. Public faith in elections is at an all-time low. In the 2024 election cycle, a majority of voters believed that their votes would be counted less than “very accurately.” If the government is not trusted by the citizens for whom it exists and in whom all political power inheres, it has lost its credibility and authority. Voter ID laws can restore this trust. President Trump, to his credit, has recognized both this problem and its solution. He’s championed the SAVE America Act, which would prevent voter fraud and strengthen faith in America’s elections. Under the law, voters would be required to present their government-issued photo ID before casting their ballot, just as millions of Americans are required to present photo ID before renting a car or flying on an airplane. The SAVE America Act is a welcome proposal. And with certain Democrats crossing the aisle to vote in favor, it stands a chance of passing despite Chuck Schumer’s filibuster. But those of us here in Ohio should not be forced to wait. Now is the time to finish the job and enshrine voter ID into our Constitution. If Washington D.C. can’t pass the SAVE America Act, Ohio should achieve its common-sense objectives on our own terms. That is why I am calling on the Ohio General Assembly to give the people the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment that will enshrine voter ID for generations to come. It’s a necessary step. State-level laws do not provide enough protection. Just ask Hawaiians, who saw their voter ID laws legislatively repealed in 2019. Or Virginians, which followed suit in 2021. Or North Carolinians, who have been caught in a game of political ping pong, as activist judges struck down a voter ID provision in 2022, only for the state’s Supreme Court to reverse course 5 months later. This type of instability and tug-and-pull is a natural consequence of having something codified in statute alone. That is why a handful of states (most recently Wisconsin in 2025) have protected voter ID requirements by putting them where they belong: in the state’s constitution. This shouldn’t be hard to achieve and would unite our state by improving public trust in elections. The proposal is broadly popular, garnering support from 95% of Republicans and 71% of Democrats. It’s also popular across racial groups, with 76% of black voters, 82% of Latino voters, and 85% of white voters in favor – which debunks political myths such a proposal would be adverse to any particular political party or racial group. A constitutional amendment requires just three-fifths of the legislature to refer the amendment and a simple majority of voters to pass. Ohio’s General Assembly should start that process now. The United States Constitution gave us the Republic; the Ohio Constitution can guarantee we keep it. 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence which secured the rights of a free people to govern themselves, as opposed to subjecting themselves to tyrannical rule. Restoring public trust in elections is an important step to securing the continuity of self-governance for the next 250 years. A constitutional requirement for photo ID to vote is common-sense and popular. Too often, this issue has been politicized in other contests, but Ohio has an opportunity to show America how it’s done – through decisive constitutional action adopted by directly by voters, adopted in a unifying manner rather than through division. As the Republican nominee to be Ohio’s next Governor, I will do my part to work with all stakeholders in our state to get it done.
