Ohio lawmakers have passed legislation requiring absentee voters to include a copy of their photo ID when returning mail ballots, a change that won’t take effect until 2027 but marks one of the strictest absentee voting requirements in the country.
House Bill 472 preserves the current system for requesting an absentee ballot—voters can still verify their identity with the last four digits of their Social Security number or driver’s license number. The new requirement kicks in when casting the ballot itself. Voters must either mail back their completed ballot with a copy of valid photo ID or hand-deliver it and show identification to election officials in person.
Republicans Push Election Security, Democrats See Barriers
Republican supporters frame the measure as strengthening election integrity. Critics argue it creates unnecessary obstacles, particularly for elderly voters and those without easy access to copying equipment. The bill passed along party lines.
The Ohio House also approved a separate constitutional amendment that would lock the state’s existing photo ID requirements for in-person voting into the Ohio Constitution, making them harder to change in the future.
New Online Portal Coming for Absentee Requests
The legislation includes one convenience measure: a new online system for requesting absentee ballots. Ohio currently requires voters to obtain and complete a paper application. Under the new law, the secretary of state’s office will create an online portal where voters can submit requests electronically by uploading a photo ID and a photograph of themselves.
That modernization may ease the front end of absentee voting, but the photo ID requirement on the back end remains the bill’s most significant change. Ohio joins a handful of states imposing identification requirements not just for requesting mail ballots but for returning them.
What Happens Next
The bill now heads to the governor’s desk. If signed, Ohio voters won’t see the changes until the 2027 elections, giving election officials time to implement the new systems and voters time to prepare. The constitutional amendment regarding in-person voting will require voter approval in a statewide referendum before taking effect.
Key Points
- Ohio absentee voters must include photo ID copies with returned ballots starting 2027
- Current ID requirements for requesting ballots remain unchanged—new rule applies only when casting them
- Legislation also creates online portal for absentee ballot requests, replacing paper-only system
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/4605570/ohio-photo-id-mail-in-ballots-2027/ – June 11, 2026
