In many cases, you can order a margarita or get through airport security with Ohio’s new mobile driver’s license or state ID, but it won’t function when it comes time to cast your ballot.
A month ago, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Gov. Mike DeWine introduced the digital ID initiative. Similar to a tap and pay identification feature, it enables holders to connect their license or ID to an iPhone or Apple Watch Wallet program.
The Transportation Security Administration has already accepted it, for instance at the airports in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky and John Glenn Columbus International.
In addition, Ohio released a free age verification app for companies, enabling them to accept digital IDs if they so want.
“Ohio has always been a leader in innovation, and now we are the fifth state in the country that gives residents the option to securely add their driver’s license to Apple Wallet,” DeWine stated.
But in the weeks afterward, questions about whether a digital ID can be used as identification in the general election on November 5 have been sent to the state’s many boards of elections.
The quick response is no.
For this story, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s spokesperson, Dan Lusheck, reaffirmed that mobile IDs are not permitted for voting.
According to state law, photo identification entails:
- An identifying document, state identification card, or temporary driver’s license for Ohio that has been issued by the deputy registrar or the registrar of motor vehicles.
- A passport or passport card for the United States.
- An identification card from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the Ohio National Guard, or the military.
Read Also: Michigan to Receive $9 Million from Major MoneyGram Settlement
Voting may be done using the Veterans Affairs ID, which is available in digital format, since Ohio law has previously recognized it. However, as of yet, the state’s mobile ID is not specified.
Apple had worked with InnovateOhio and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to develop the digital ID functionality.
Leave a Reply