DeWine Vetoes Two Ohio Bills, Including Absentee Voting ID Measure

On June 24-25, 2026, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine vetoed two bills passed by the state legislature: House Bill 472 and House Bill 173. HB 472 would have imposed new requirements on absentee voters, including photo ID, while also containing a provision to create an online absentee ballot application system. HB 173 would have exempted submetering companies, which bill utility costs to tenants in multi-unit buildings, from classification as public utilities subject to state regulation. DeWine explained his veto of HB 472 by saying the bill was "all burden for so little benefit," though he noted support for its online absentee ballot application provision. His office released written veto messages for both bills on the day of the announcement. For HB 173, DeWine cited insufficient consumer protections for submetering customers compared to those afforded to regulated electric utility customers. Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn and House Democrats praised the veto of HB 472, noting they had previously sent DeWine a letter urging him to reject the bill after it passed the House, arguing it would have created new barriers to absentee voting without improving election security. Separately, DeWine also signed House Bill 479 into law that day, using a line-item veto to protect funding for the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia's Baileys Trail System project. As of the reporting, both vetoed bills remain blocked unless the Ohio legislature votes to override them, though no override attempt has been reported. It remains unresolved whether lawmakers plan to revise and reintroduce either bill, particularly the online absentee ballot application provision in HB 472 that DeWine indicated he supported. The full text of DeWine's veto messages and any legislative response beyond the House Democrats' statement have not been detailed across the available reports.