Republican lawmakers in Ohio have passed a resolution that would add a voter ID amendment to the November ballot, as part of efforts to support GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The amendment, which was approved in three weeks, would make Ohio’s voter ID law a constitutional requirement, aiming to boost voter turnout.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a venture capitalist who made a fortune in biotech and moved a company he co-founded from Columbus to Dallas two years ago, has struggled to gain traction against Dr. Amy Acton, former head of the Ohio Department of Health under Governor Mike DeWine and the Democratic candidate campaigning for the same office. The latest polls show Acton with a slight edge over Ramaswamy.
Twice the GOP-run General Assembly has rallied to kick-start his flagging momentum with hurried legislation the candidate pitched as a winning gambit with voters. In response to Acton’s call for an emergency state gas tax holiday to lessen the sticker shock at the pumps from Trump’s war of choice with Iran, the legislature moved quickly to pass the voter ID amendment.
