January 17, 2023

Ohio Alliance Files Voting Rights Lawsuit Over New Photo ID Requirement

The Ohio Alliance, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Ohio Federation of Teachers and Union Veterans Council have filed a lawsuit over an Ohio law requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls. Previously, voters had been able to show alternative forms of identification, such as utility bills or bank statements.

The measure also limits the number of days to request and return an absentee ballot and eliminates early in-person voting the Monday before an election.

The suit alleges that the changes make it substantially harder to vote in person and by mail, while at the same time making it more difficult for voters to correct any mistakes made in the process, especially for young, elderly, and Black voters, as well as members of the military and others living abroad.

“The Ohio Alliance is the latest chapter to go to court to block burdensome voting restrictions that are designed to suppress the vote,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance. “We will never stop fighting to protect our hard won constitutional rights and our democracy.”