LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (Week of May 25)

This week, a group of Republican state legislators introduced a joint resolution that would place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to permanently enshrine voter identification requirements into the Ohio Constitution. What makes the proposal noteworthy is that Ohio voters are already required by law to present photo identification at the polls — and Ohio already has some of the strictest voter ID laws in the country.

Because these requirements are already in place, many observers are asking: why amend the Ohio Constitution now?

The introducers explain that laws can be changed and this an opportunity to make voter ID requirements permanent. People on the other side of the aisle theorize that this is a political strategy. Voter ID laws remain broadly popular, with polling consistently showing support from more than 80% of Ohio voters. By placing the issue on the ballot during a high-stakes midterm election, supporters may hope to energize like-minded voters and drive turnout in races that are expected to be exceptionally close. In Ohio’s 2022 midterms, only 47.1% of eligible voters cast ballots; in 2018, turnout was 50.9%. With both the Governor’s race and U.S. Senate race statistically tied in early polling, turnout may determine the winners.

Midterm elections are often viewed as a referendum on the sitting president, making 2026 even harder to predict. President Trump’s approval numbers in Ohio remain closely divided, suggesting neither party enters the election with a clear advantage. In that environment, motivating partisan voters to show up could prove decisive.

Others see a longer-term objective behind the proposed amendment: laying the groundwork for future efforts to restrict alternative methods of voting. Currently, only about 63% of Ohio voters cast ballots in person on Election Day. The remaining voters use early in-person voting or absentee-by-mail options, with mail voting accounting for roughly 21.7% of ballots cast. Critics worry that embedding voter ID requirements into the Constitution could become the first step toward limiting those alternatives and moving Ohio toward a system centered primarily on Election Day, in-person voting.

The importance of the 2026 Ohio midterms extends far beyond one ballot issue. Ohio voters will decide one U.S. Senate seat and all 15 U.S. House seats, in addition to races for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, two Ohio Supreme Court seats, 17 Ohio Senate seats, all 99 Ohio House seats, and multiple State Board of Education positions. The results will shape not only Ohio’s future, but potentially the national balance of power as well.

In a state where elections are increasingly decided by turnout margins, the message for voters is simple: participation matters.

Please join the advocacy collective  on Wednesday, June 3 at 2:00 PM at the NCJW/CLE offices for the kickoff meeting of our Get Out the Vote campaign for the critical November midterm elections. This campaign is a nonpartisan effort to promote voting, and in compliance with our status as a 501(c)(3) organization we will not promote any political party or candidate.

At this first strategy session, we will begin shaping our campaign messaging, outlining activities, and establishing goals for the months ahead. We hope you will join us and be part of this important effort.