A proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution could change the state’s voter ID law and allow counties to expand their early voting locations or number of ballot drop boxes.
The Ohio Voters Bill of Rights cleared a procedural hurdle with the state Ballot Board last month, meaning advocates can start collecting signatures to get the measure on the ballot. Backers hoped to put it before voters this year, but a legal fight with Attorney General Dave Yost delayed their efforts.
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The coalition began pushing for the amendment after Ohio enacted an election law in 2023 that requires voters to show a photo ID at the polls. Secretary of State Frank LaRose and some Republican lawmakers are now mulling whether to ban drop boxes and require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
“Ohio has some of the most oppressive voter laws in the country,” said Bria Bennett, a spokesperson for the group.
Here’s what you need to know about the proposed amendment.
If approved by voters, the amendment would:
The coalition comprises several groups, including the Ohio chapter of the NAACP, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Ohio Unity Coalition and the A. Philip Randolph Institute, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO that advocates for racial justice.
The League of Women Voters of Ohio has yet to take a position on the amendment.
LaRose has called the proposal a “political Trojan horse” and contends it would enable noncitizens to vote. He also said it would “undercut and roll back Ohio’s popular photo-ID requirement, degrading the integrity of our process.”
“I have major concerns it will put the scales of convenience and security out of balance,” LaRose posted on X last month.
The amendment still has a ways to go. Bennett said the coalition is determining next steps, including whether to aim for the November 2025 election or wait another year.
To qualify for the ballot, advocates must collect a minimum of 413,487 voter signatures from at least half of Ohio’s 88 counties. Petitions for November elections are due in July.
Haley BeMiller covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
