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 until the GOP-majority legislature tacked on last-minute amendments mandating photo identification proof for absentee voting.
But through a lengthy veto message, DeWine said the bill was “all burden for so little benefit.”
“(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,” he said in an emailed statement. “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 amendment on the ballot will not change rules for absentee voting.
“I might have to toast to the governor tonight, when I drink my bourbon in a little bit here, because he took what’s best for the state of Ohio and the citizens of Ohio and weighed that higher than he weighed what his own party wants to do,” Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) said in an interview.
Statewide, most Democrats and voting rights organizations were asking DeWine for the axe.
“We commend (Gov.) DeWine for his wise veto of hastily written legislation that would have surely backfired,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the statewide League of Women Voters.
But several GOP officeholders and candidates said the veto was “disappointing.”
“HB 472 ... would have given Ohioans the confidence to know their election system was the most secure in the country," said Rob McColley, current Senate President and candidate for lieutenant governor.
Any veto override vote would have to be held before the end of the legislative session in December.
