01 The case for repeal
They asked voters to fear the wrong threat.
The official Yes argument promised that photo ID would ensure only legal votes were counted. It also acknowledged that Ohio already required it. The legislature’s own analysis found that Issue 3 required no change to the ID rules already on the books. The public case offered no independently verifiable evidence that putting the existing requirement in the Constitution would stop fraud Ohio’s existing checks could not catch. 01
Ohio · October 3, 2026
Trump invoked partisan cheating.
In Vandalia, he urged a Yes vote as a chance to stop “Democrat cheaters, fraudsters.” He offered no Ohio case evidence for that charge in his Issue 3 pitch and said he expected the measure to bring out voters for Republican candidates. 02
Georgia · January 2, 2021
Trump pressed an official after the count.
He told Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, “I just want to find 11,780 votes.” Georgia had already recertified its result after a hand count and a recount requested by Trump’s campaign. Both upheld the result. 03
A polling-place ID check can do nothing about a president pressuring officials after the votes are counted. The campaign sold fear of partisan cheating. Ohio deserves safeguards matched to documented threats and a public accounting of the burdens put on eligible voters.
02 What repeal would change
Repeal the provision. Then reform the statute.
Issue 3 added Article V, Section 5, to put voter ID requirements in the Ohio Constitution. Repealing that section would restore legislative flexibility. Ohio’s separate law requiring in-person photo ID would still apply until lawmakers changed it. 01 04
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Ask Ohio voters to repeal Section 5.
Put a focused repeal amendment before voters and publish its exact text before asking for support.
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Change the law voters face at the polls.
Ask lawmakers to keep meaningful eligibility checks and ballot secrecy while allowing workable alternatives for voters who lack an accepted photo ID.
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Make officials show their work.
Demand a public hearing. Ask for verified case counts, evidence that each proposed check would catch those cases, and a plan to measure how many eligible voters face a new barrier.
03 Our proposal for private check-in
Your name should be enough to say out loud.
Ohio already asks for your address, birth date, and identification information when you register. Use that information to verify eligibility privately. Give voters a free, election-only credential so they can check in without exposing their home address or personal numbers. 07
- At registration
Issue the credential for free.
Offer it when registration is approved and make it available to people already on the rolls. Assign a unique number used only for election check-in. Keep it in the protected voter system and use a secure code on the card that authorized election equipment can verify. Keep the number and address off the face of the card. Offer a physical card, free replacement, and a private backup process for lost cards or equipment failures.
- At the polls
Say your name. Verify eligibility privately.
Make your name the only personal information you have to say aloud. Let the poll worker verify eligibility and check-in status without routinely seeing your address, election number, or other ID numbers. Limit access to registration details to authorized officials who need them to resolve an issue, and handle those checks privately. Keep the credential number and check-in record separate from the ballot.
- If Issue 3 remains
Give voters a qualifying card that protects their data.
Issue 3 still requires an accepted photo ID for most in-person voters. Ohio should explore a free, voting-only BMV state ID that meets the amendment’s requirements, shows the voter’s name, photo, and expiration date, and keeps the home address and numbers off the card’s face. That would require legislation to authorize the card, amend state ID rules, and end the separate statutory requirement to announce your address. For most voters, a name-and-code option without photo ID would require changing the constitutional rule. That remains the campaign’s goal. 01 04 08
Protect the voter file too. End routine public display of home addresses and other personal details in voter files and polling-place lists. Keep access limited to what election administration and oversight need or what law specifically requires. A private credential only does part of the job if the same information is publicly available elsewhere. 09
04 The Ohio process
Two ways to put repeal before voters.
Either route ends with a statewide vote. A majority of votes cast on the new amendment is required for it to pass. 05 06
- Legislative referral
Ask for a joint resolution.
Either chamber can propose it. It takes three-fifths of the elected members in each chamber to send it to voters. The resolution must be filed with the secretary of state at least 90 days before the designated election. 05
- Citizen initiative
Organize a qualified petition committee.
Designate a committee of three to five. Submit the proposed text, title, summary, and at least 1,000 signatures from qualified Ohio electors to the attorney general. After review by the attorney general and Ohio Ballot Board, the statewide petition needs valid signatures equal to 10% of the last gubernatorial vote statewide, with at least 5% of the gubernatorial vote in each of at least 44 counties. File at least 125 days before the general election. 06
Start by reviewing the official petition instructions and getting the proposed text and calendar reviewed. Formal Ohio petitions require voter information and witnessed signatures. Responses to our site surveys are voluntary feedback. 06
05 Ask for a public commitment
Will your lawmakers put repeal on the ballot?
Ask your Ohio representative and senator to sponsor repeal, request a public hearing, and protect voters’ privacy now.