Rep. Bryant Bailey Votes No as Ohio Republicans Send Voter ID Constitutional Amendment to the Ballot

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Ashley Bryant Bailey (D-Cincinnati) yesterday voted against SJR 10, a resolution that would place Ohio's strict photo identification requirement into the Ohio Constitution, sending the measure to voters on the November ballot. Rep. Bryant Bailey also introduced an amendment on the House floor that would have guaranteed free state identification and drivers license, along with a free pathway to obtain the documents required to obtain that ID. Republicans rejected the amendment.

"Ohio already has voter ID. This resolution is not about whether Ohioans should show identification to vote. It is about whether we should lock election policy into our Constitution while ignoring the real challenges facing working families.

At a time when voting rights are under attack across the country, I am disappointed that this legislature is spending its time advancing a constitutional amendment designed to energize a political base instead of addressing affordability, housing, childcare, and the issues Ohioans talk to us about every day.

The right to vote was fought for, sacrificed for, and expanded generation after generation. We should be making it easier for eligible voters to participate, not limiting our ability to adapt and improve the system in the future. That's why I offered an amendment to guarantee every Ohioan a free path to obtaining the identification required to vote. Republicans rejected it.

I will always support election security, but I will never support policies that risk leaving eligible voters behind." Rep. Bryant Bailey concluded.

Background:

• SJR 10 passed the Ohio House 61-27 and the Ohio Senate largely along party lines, placing a constitutional voter photo ID requirement on the November ballot.
• Since Ohio's strict photo ID law took effect, more than 10,000 registered voters have been rejected at the ballot for lack of photo identification.
• Rep. Bryant Bailey introduced Amendment 3075, which would have required the BMV to provide free initial, renewed, or updated driver's licenses and state IDs to eligible Ohioans, and a free pathway to obtain the underlying documents needed to secure that identification. The amendment was tabled by House Republicans.
• The resolution does not protect early voting or vote-by-mail, does not guarantee free identification, and removes the General Assembly's ability to authorize alternative or future forms of identification.