Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is championing the effort to solidify voter ID in Ohio, calling for the requirement to be enshrined in the state constitution.
“Ohio must enshrine voter ID in its constitution,” Ramaswamy wrote Monday morning for the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Ramaswamy acknowledged that Ohio already has voter ID, but he said it needs stronger protection.
“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,” he wrote.
Ramaswamy argued that voter ID laws can “restore” trust among voters, citing low confidence that votes will be counted accurately.
Ramaswamy referenced states like Wisconsin that have enshrined voter ID in their constitutions, and he invoked America’s approaching 250th birthday as another reason to support such an amendment.
The Ohio General Assembly is already advancing the idea. On Monday, state Reps. Adam Bird and Heidi Workman, as well as state Sens. Jane Timken and Theresa Gavarone, introduced a resolution to enshrine the voter ID requirement in the state constitution.
“Electors shall provide identification in order to vote, in accordance with laws passed by the General Assembly,” the resolution reads in part.
Ohio law currently requires citizens to provide voter identification before voting. It also lets individuals age 17 and older obtain initial and renewed state ID cards at no cost.
“The joint resolution would codify these requirements in Ohio’s Constitution, ensuring the long-term security of our elections,” a press release from Ohio Republicans explained.
To become effective, the resolutions first will need approval from three-fifths of the Legislature to get on the ballot. After that, a simple majority of Ohio voters need to vote in favor.
Hearings are expected on both the House and Senate resolutions this week.
Republicans at the state and federal levels were quick to signal their support on X, including U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, congressman from Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, and state Rep. Ron Ferguson.
Robert Sprague, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, likewise signaled his support, writing that “just about everyone agrees on” voter ID.
Ramaswamy also addressed attempts to get voter ID passed at the federal level through the SAVE America Act, which has stalled in the U.S. Senate.
“Those of us here in Ohio should not be forced to wait,” Ramaswamy wrote. “If Washington, D.C., can’t pass the SAVE America Act, Ohio should achieve its commonsense objectives on our own terms,” he wrote on X.
Trump continues to prioritize the SAVE America Act, posting on Truth Social on Saturday that it should be attached to bills on housing and also the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Ohio has had success with election integrity initiatives in recent years. In 2022, nearly 77% of voters supported a ballot initiative that prohibited local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote.
