GOP-controlled Ohio Legislature passes election bill requiring photo ID at the polls

Ohio legislators sent Republican Gov. Mike DeWine a GOP-backed bill Thursday that would require voters to show photo ID at the polls and allow fewer days to request absentee ballots or vote early in person.

The measure, which would replace a state law that lets voters present other documents on Election Day, such as utility bills or bank statements, was passed by the House in a 55-32 vote.

The bill would also eliminate in-person early voting on the eve of Election Day and trim the amount of time voters can request and submit absentee ballots.

Legislators had considered a pair of competing measures and ended up sending DeWine the more restrictive one.

DeWine said after the vote that he would need to read the legislation before he decided whether to sign it into law.

“The last two secretaries of state have both said that we have a very good system in the state of Ohio,” DeWine said. “It’s easy to vote, hard to cheat, so I think we already have a good system in the state of Ohio.”

While many Republican legislators contended that their bills are aimed at beefing up election security, Democrats and voting rights groups have criticized the measures, arguing that either one would make it more difficult for Ohioans to vote.