ACLU will file suit over Ohio voter photo ID law

COLUMBUS — The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio announced today that it will file suit over provisions of Ohio House Bill 194 that require voters to produce state-issued photo identification in order to vote.

HB 194 is expected to pass out of the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee today, and pass the full Senate soon after. The photo ID provisions were amended into the bill Tuesday.

ACLU of Ohio Legal Director James L. Hardiman said, “The passage of House Bill 194 makes Ohio’s voter identification law the most restrictive in the nation. While proponents argue that the change is necessary in order to prevent voter fraud, there is simply no evidence that widespread fraud exists and that this would do anything to prevent it. State legislators will disenfranchise thousands of Ohioans to solve a problem that does not exist.”

The ACLU will begin a legal challenge on the photo identification requirements immediately after passage.