Mason and Deerfield Township voters will decide Tuesday, Nov. 3, whether to enshrine Ohio's existing photo ID voting requirement in the state constitution.

Issue 3, the only statewide ballot question this fall, would not change how anyone votes right now. Ohio has required a photo ID at the polls since 2023, when Gov. Mike DeWine signed the requirement into law. What the amendment would do is make that requirement far harder to undo: repealing a constitutional provision takes another statewide vote, while a regular law can be rewritten by the legislature.

Republican lawmakers in the Ohio General Assembly placed Issue 3 on the ballot by joint resolution. A simple majority of voters statewide will decide its fate, according to Dayton Daily News reporting.

What the amendment covers

Under Issue 3 and current law, acceptable IDs include an unexpired Ohio driver's license or state ID card, a U.S. passport or passport card, and U.S. military, Ohio National Guard or Veterans Affairs ID cards. Out-of-state driver's licenses and student IDs are not accepted, according to CityBeat/Signal Ohio.

The amendment does not require photo ID for mail voting. Voters casting absentee ballots can still use the last four digits of their Social Security number. The certified ballot language leaves future mail-in ID rules to the legislature.

Ohioans 17 and older who lack a valid driver's license can get a state ID card at no cost from the Ohio BMV, according to WOSU. Voters who arrive at the polls without an acceptable ID can cast a provisional ballot and have four days after Election Day to provide identification at their county board of elections.

The arguments

Republican lawmakers, in their official argument filed with the Ohio Secretary of State, said Issue 3 would improve public faith in elections and cited polling showing over 80% support for photo ID requirements nationally and in Ohio.

State Rep. Desiré Tims, D-Dayton, and other Democratic lawmakers drafted the official argument against the measure, calling it unnecessary and unpopular. In a Sept. 4 CityBeat explainer on Issue 3, Tims said, "The 'vote no' campaign is pretty much going to be us talking to voters, telling them to vote no on something that's already the law."

Christopher Devine, a University of Dayton political science professor, told the Dayton Daily News there is a case on both sides. Some see the amendment as politically motivated, he said, while others "believe this is an important enough issue … and want the certainty that it's not going to go away."

Ohio is not alone. Voters in a dozen states face ballot measures regulating election access this year. Oklahoma voters approved a similar constitutional voter ID measure in August with nearly 55% of the vote, according to AZ Capitol Times.

How to vote

The voter registration deadline for Warren County is Monday, Oct. 5. Early in-person voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 520 Justice Drive in Lebanon. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to the Warren County Board of Elections.