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Given the heated clamor over such hot-button races on the Ohio ballot this fall as the caustic battles for governor and U.S. Senate, one proposition up for a vote among all 7.5 million registered voters in the state may easily get lost in the shuffle. Others might find its very presence downright odd.
That measure is state Issue 3, an Ohio constitutional amendment proposed by state lawmakers to require photo identification to vote. And yes, some may legitimately find it odd. It is, after all, the only statewide issue on the ballot. So what happened to state Issues 1 and 2, some head scratchers may rightly ask.
They simply do not exist. Thanks to a change in state law that took effect last year, Ohio started renumbering state ballot proposals differently. Instead of restarting numbers every election with No. 1, numbers won't repeat themselves until after the state reaches Issue 500. So don't expect another state Issue 3 in your lifetime.
Odd, too, some might say, is the questionable necessity of state Issue 3. Yes, Virginia, photo ID requirements already are emblazoned into the Ohio Revised Code, but they are not guaranteed specifications in the Ohio Constitution, the state's overriding and superseding government document.
Those who seek the added protection argue it is much easier to nullify an article in the ORC than it is to amend the state constitution. That is a cogent argument.
We agree with the extra sticking power of inclusion of photo identification mandates in the Ohio Constitution. So do the overwhelming majority of voters who back strict voter ID enforcement.
Recent polls from both the Pew Research Center and Gallup show a whopping 85% of adults of all political stripes support requiring voters to show government-issued IDs as a prerequisite to enter the ballot booth at the polls on or before Election Day.
Such a groundswell of support is clearly understandable in that Photo ID checks represent a commonsense method to verify identity and detect fraudsters. And even though cases of documented fraud have been extremely few in state and federal elections, Issue 3 would provide an added layer of protection to ensure free, fair and transparent elections, a hallmark of our democratic form of government.
In addition, many rightly argue that Issue 3 not only would help prevent fraud, but also strengthen voters' faith and confidence in our elections. At a time when voter turnout and participation in elections has sunk to embarrassing lows, any action to potentially reverse that trend should be embraced.
Opponents of Issue 3 contend such added protections for the integrity of each and every vote are unnecessary and redundant.
In addition to that specious argument, those who oppose enhancing the security of elections call Issue 3 a "juicer" designed to stimulate more conservative (read Republican) voters to flock to the polls this fall. Such arguments are easily refuted, given the vast majority of Democrats who also back strict voter ID requirements.
Others use hyperbole to crow about the issue's potential impact on absentee and mail-in voting. Truth be told, the state issue includes provisions for exceptions to the photo requirement for mail-in and other forms of voting not done in person.
Additionally, state Issue 3 must not be confused with the hypercontroversial Safeguard the American Voter Eligibility Act, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed earlier this year and that now languishes in the U.S. Senate. SAVE, after all, would go much further than photo-ID requirements. It would impose much more limited photo-ID options, require much tighter voter registration procedures and permit sharing of secure voter registration databases in all 50 states with federal government agencies.
State Reps. Rep. Adam Bird and Heidi Workman and state Sens. Jane Timken and Theresa Gavarone present the bottom line in their official arguments in support of state Issue 3: "Photo ID is a proven method to protect Ohio's elections and improve voter confidence. If you can show an ID to drive a car, you can show an ID to decide the future of our state and our country."
We join them in endorsing state Issue 3 for passage.