Buckeye Reporter

An Ohio state senator has introduced voter ID legislation much to the relief of an exasperated expert on best practices to secure state election laws.

“It’s about darn time,” Ken Cuccinelli, national chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative and former Republican Virginia attorney general, told the Buckeye Reporter. “They had good bills last year that they didn't even vote on. We'll see if it moves forward.”

The legislation (Senate Bill 320), introduced by Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Huron), would require a photo ID for in-person voting, and a driver’s license or state ID number, and the last four digits of a Social Security number when voting by mail.

In 2019 Gavarone introduced legislation that required audits for local, state and federal elections in Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, signed the bill into law in October of that year.

“One of my priorities in the legislature has always been to improve election integrity and voter confidence in Ohio,” Gavarone, a candidate for Congress, said in a statement. “I want to ensure we have the most accurate and trusted elections in the country, and requiring a photo ID to vote is a simple measure we can take to achieve that goal.”

In early March, Cuccinelli blasted the Ohio Legislature and DeWine in an article in the Buckeye Reporter for not acting on election reform legislation.

“That the Ohio Legislature and its governor were unable to come together in 2021 to pass many of the reforms badly needed to ensure secure, transparent and accountable Ohio elections wasn’t just disappointing, and downright unacceptable, it was a profound disservice to so many other states who leaned bravely into the head winds of resistance determined to thwart election integrity," Cuccinelli said. "Without delay we urge the House and Senate to act on legislation to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in Ohio elections."

Multiple calls to state lawmakers who supported election reform measures last year were not returned.

Public opinion polls show that the majority of voters across demographic lines support voter ID. In her statement announcing the legislation, Gavarone cited a 2021 Monmouth University poll showing that 80% support requiring a photo ID.

A poll by the Honest Elections Project, also conducted in 2021, showed an 81% support for voter ID.