“And passing this provision that I offer tonight that’s part of the SAVE America Act is right for election integrity.”
View Husted’s remarks here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) today brought a bill to the Senate floor that would require voters to present photo identification when voting, seeking its passage by unanimous consent—a process that expedites consideration of legislation in the United States Senate.
Senate Democrats objected, blocking the bill from receiving a vote.
Husted’s remarks include:
“I believe I have something tonight that will provide some common ground that hopefully we can all support.”
. . .
“I come to this conversation having been twice elected and entrusted as the chief elections officer of the state of Ohio, as being elected their Secretary of State.
“I oversaw elections, presidential elections in 2012 and 2016, as well as midterm elections in 2014 and 2018, and many primaries, local elections, special elections, ballot initiatives, on and on and on.”
. . .
“I made my mission clear in that role to make Ohio a place where it is easy to vote and hard to cheat.
“And many other states do it right.
“They have voter ID laws, they properly maintain the voter rolls.
“However, other states do not do that.”
. . .
“I know for me in the last week, I’ve had to provide an ID to enter a government building, an ID to rent a car, an ID to stay at a hotel.
“But many other things we commonly do in life, whether that’s someone going to the local store to buy alcohol or tobacco, you name it.
“Lots of reasons that people have to supply IDs.”
. . .
“I’ve heard my Democrat colleagues say that they don’t oppose photo ID laws.
“Heard Senator Schumer say, ‘our objection as Democrats is not to a photo ID.’
“Heard Senator Fetterman say he supports a photo ID law.”
. . .
“The voter under this legislation could present a photo ID of any of the following: a state issued driver’s license that includes a photo ID and an expiration date, state ID that has a photo of the individual and an expiration date, a valid U.S. passport, a valid military ID or a valid tribal ID that includes a photo of the individual and an expiration date.”
. . .
“It’s proven effective because many states already do it.
“We certainly do it in Ohio.”
. . .
“So, I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle realize I really do support a photo ID law, because this legislation is the simple, easy, proven way to do it.
. . .
“The American people support it by an 80/20 margin.
“And as I’ve been saying for more than a decade and a half, it is possible to make it both easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
. . .
“Passing voter ID requirements is common sense.
“And passing this provision that I offer tonight that’s part of the SAVE America Act is right for election integrity.
“And it’s the right thing to do for voter confidence.
“And I urge a yes vote.”
View Husted’s full remarks here.
Husted joined Senate Republican colleagues for a press conference today on the SAVE America Act. View his remarks here.