'You have to have ID': The new voter ID law has had minimal impact on ballots in Cuyahoga so far, but November is the real test

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Five times more votes were rejected in Cuyahoga County in the 2023 election than in 2022 because of a new state law that requires voters to show a valid photo ID. However, participation in these races was low, so the impact was relatively small.

However, the November general election will be the first big test. Voter turnout is expected to rise from about 40% to 70% in the presidential election year, bringing out residents who may not have voted in previous elections, said Anthony Perlatti, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

He wants them to remember one thing: “You must have photo ID.”

The BOE does not track how many voters are turned away from early voting or on Election Day because they did not have ID, but it does track how many voters are required to cast provisional ballots and what happens to them afterward.

Voters must cast a provisional ballot if their eligibility to vote is in question, including because they have not updated their registration, their signature does not match their registration form, or they cannot immediately provide valid identification. Voters then have up to four days to correct their ballots by providing the BOE with the necessary information to verify their eligibility.

If this does not happen, the ballot papers will be rejected.

In the four elections since Ohio's passage of House Bill 458, which requires photo ID to vote, an average of about 3% of provisional ballots in Cuyahoga have been rejected for lack of ID, the county elections board reported earlier this year. Before the law change, missing IDs accounted for less than 1% of voter rejections.

Data shows that voters cast 8,402 provisional ballots in the November 2022 general election, 795 of which were rejected for various reasons, such as: B. because the person was not registered to vote, they voted by mail, they were in the wrong location, or other missing identifying information. Only 24 of those denials – or 0.29% – were related to a lack of ID. Back then, voters could verify their identity using the last four digits of their Social Security number.

However, a year later, in the November 2023 general election, voters cast 4,805 provisional ballots, 970 of which were rejected. Data shows that at least 124 of the denials were due to a lack of ID.

The numbers showed little improvement until the March primary. There were 1,054 provisional ballots cast in this election, of which 167 were rejected for various reasons – primarily because the people were not registered. Data shows that 28 of the denials, or 3%, were due to a lack of identification.

While the county couldn't make a true comparison to the state's numbers because the state combines denials for missing and mismatched IDs, Peter James, the BOE's election and compliance administrator, says Cuyahoga still does better. The county's overall rate is less than 4%, while the state's rate is nearly 7%.

“The conclusion is that while the number of missing provisional IDs rejected as a result of HB 458 has increased, overall 97% of provisional voters … present a valid ID,” James told the BOE board during a meeting in May. “We’re definitely doing better than the state.”

Since then, Perlatti said the office has been going into communities and sending out voter information to remind residents: “No matter what happens, you must have ID with you when you go.” He urged residents to check now They have the necessary photo identification and ensure their registration is up to date to avoid having to vote provisionally.

Registration ends on Monday. “So there is still some time left,” said Perlatti. (To check your voter registration, visit boe.cuyahogacounty.gov/voters.)

Valid forms of photo identification include an Ohio driver's license, a state ID card, a temporary ID issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a U.S. passport or passport card, a military ID card, an Ohio National Guard ID card, or a veterans ID card. It is permissible for ID cards to show a previous address as long as the voter's current address is updated in the poll book.

Voters can obtain a free state ID card from the BMV if they can prove their legal name, date of birth, social security number, legal presence and residency in Ohio.

Republican lawmakers introduced another bill in April that would also require residents to show an Ohio license or state ID to register to vote or vote by mail, rather than using the last four digits of their Social Security number. But House Bill 472 has stalled since Gov. Mike DeWine indicated he was unlikely to support it.

“When I signed the last reform bill, I said I think we’re done,” DeWine said earlier during a forum at the Columbus Metropolitan Club. “We have a system that works in Ohio, and barring evidence … I don’t think I see a compelling reason to change it.”