HB472

HB472

Time Range For Action Alert: 
Jun 12 2026 to Jul 12 2026

Photo ID for Absentee Voting Bill Rushed Through the Legislature

(Action Alert is, in part, from LWVO Weekly Update, dated 06/12/26 and

Common Cause Ohio email, dated 06/12/26.)

Ohio House members approved HB472 Wednesday night (06/10/26), which will require absentee voters to provide a copy of photo ID. Voters would either send a copy of their ID through the mail when requesting their ballot, show their ID to county Board of Elections workers if requesting in person, or use a “live capture” process through an online portal the Secretary of State’s office must now construct in time for voters to use for the 2027 general election.

In addition to our concerns about the barriers requiring ID to vote by mail will create for eligible seniors, voters with disabilities, rural voters, and other vulnerable Ohio voters, HB 472 presents brand new problems of potential fraud and privacy violations. Sending sensitive personal information through the mail is always fraught; add to that putting sensitive personal information in the mail in specially marked envelopes that announces its contents to any halfway decent scammer, and we’ve got problems. 

The online request portal, an idea we support in theory to make voting more accessible for more people, in practice was not well considered here and puts voters’ privacy at risk.

And no surprise, this massive change in how we operate our elections comes with no financial support for our Boards of Elections, who once again are stuck implementing and managing an unfunded mandate. This is not only a really lousy thing to do to elections officials and staff who are the foundation of our elections, but many Boards of Elections will have to make difficult choices about where to divert funds away from to pay for this new portal system.

House Bill 472 was originally intended to provide needed ID free of charge for the homeless but was weaponized to include convoluted and insecure new ID requirements for voting by mail. The bill was rushed, poorly throughout, punitive to voters and boards of elections, and completely unnecessary.

ACTION ALERT

The next step for HB 472 is the governor’s desk. Please call Gov. Mike DeWine and urge him to veto House Bill 472!

Call (614) 644-4357, or (614) 466-3555 and let him know that:

  • The legislation was rushed and didn’t provide an opportunity for a thorough review. There are likely to be unintended consequences.
  • The procedures for providing copies of IDs through the mail or via an online portal leaves Ohioans’ personal information vulnerable.
  • This is an unfunded and complicated mandate for boards of elections.
  • There are already bipartisan election procedures in place to confirm the identity of those voting by mail.

If you can’t get through by phone, you can contact Gov. DeWine using this form.