Plaudits for Husted

Plaudits for Husted

The Repository, Canton: Thank you, Jon Husted. The man Ohioans elected last November to protect their election system did just that last Thursday.

The new secretary of state testified against the proposed photo-ID law by describing a nightmarish scenario that elections officials in Ohio have worked hard to avoid: our state in the national spotlight for days after the 2012 presidential election because it can’t finish counting the votes on Election Night.

Husted, a former state legislator and speaker of the Ohio House, reminded a Senate committee that requiring voters to show a photo ID would guarantee a 10-day delay in completing the count. Voters who can’t show a photo ID would use a provisional ballot and would have 10 days to produce adequate identification. In the meantime, their ballots would go uncounted.

Ohio doesn’t have an election fraud problem. Husted told the committee he’d rather continue to allow voters to show a utility bill or other proof of address if they don’t have a driver’s license or other government-issued ID.