Issue 3 would write Ohio's existing voter photo-ID requirement into the state Constitution, and every Delaware County voter will see it on the Nov. 3 ballot. It is the only statewide measure this election.

Election results are pending. This article will be updated as election officials release vote totals.

Issue 3 is not the only question facing Powell, Liberty Township and Orange Township voters. Delaware County voters outside the portions of Columbus, Dublin and Westerville served by COTA will also decide a proposed 0.2% sales tax for the Delaware County Regional Transit Authority, the Columbus Dispatch reported. If approved, that tax would generate an estimated $10.5 million a year and fund new transit services in Powell and Liberty Township, according to the Dispatch. Orange Township voters face two additional levies: a 1-mill roads-and-bridges levy and a 1-mill parks-and-recreation renewal.

What Issue 3 would do

The Ohio General Assembly placed the amendment on the ballot through Senate Joint Resolution 10 (SJR 10), a Republican-sponsored resolution that passed in June, according to Fox 8. A three-fifths supermajority approved it, according to the Secretary of State's certified materials. A majority yes vote would add Section 5 to Article V of the Ohio Constitution, effective immediately.

A yes vote approves the constitutional requirement. A no vote rejects the amendment and leaves existing voter-ID law in place. Rejecting Issue 3 would not repeal Ohio's current photo-ID requirement for in-person voting.

Ohio already requires photo ID at the polls. That requirement became law in 2023 through House Bill 458 (HB 458), according to the ACLU of Ohio. The central question is whether those rules should also be locked into the Constitution, making them harder to change. Altering a constitutional provision would require another statewide vote, according to WTOL.

Accepted IDs and absentee rules

Under the proposal, approved documents must contain the voter's name and photograph and be unexpired. They include an Ohio driver's license or state ID, a qualifying temporary Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) document, a U.S. passport or passport card, a U.S. military ID, an Ohio National Guard ID or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID.

The certified explanation distinguishes in-person voting from other methods. State law could still provide alternative identity verification for voters with a sincere religious objection to being photographed.

For absentee or mail voting, the amendment would require photo ID or, if authorized by law, a signature and at least one other unique identifier. That language allows lawmakers to keep an alternative process for absentee voters, but it does not guarantee they will. The legislature could tighten absentee requirements without a new amendment, according to WTOL's analysis.

Arguments for and against

In their official argument, supporters Rep. Adam Bird, Rep. Heidi Workman, Sen. Theresa Gavarone and Sen. Jane Timken say the constitutional requirement would deter impersonation, improve public confidence and protect the rule from repeal by future legislatures.

Sen. Timken argued the measure is important in the age of artificial intelligence. In a June news release reported by Fox 8, she referenced Ohio's pre-2023 law, which allowed utility bills and bank statements as ID.

Opponents Sen. Bill DeMora, Rep. Desiree Tims and Rep. Terrence Upchurch wrote in their official argument that the amendment is unnecessary because photo ID is already law. They say constitutionalizing the list limits flexibility as ID technology changes and criticize the proposal for lacking guarantees for absentee voting, early voting and free state IDs. These are the opposing sides' arguments, not findings that voter impersonation is widespread.

Both major-party gubernatorial candidates, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton, said they support Issue 3, according to Fox 8.

Voting hours and results

Ohio polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters in line by 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Check the Secretary of State's election website for statewide reporting and the county results directory for Delaware County returns. Election-night totals remain unofficial until certified.