Again singing one of their favorite tunes, Ohio's Republican state senators have cooked up a photo-ID bill (HB 194) which would require us to produce a valid drivers license, passport, or state ID when voting in person. While most voters have such things, some might not -- the young, the old, the underpriveleged -- and those without also tend to vote for Democrats. So the GOP, not just in Ohio but across the country, has long sought a way to keep these undesirables home on election day. It's not about voter fraud. We have no voter fraud problem. It's about suppressing Democratic votes, pure and simple.
As such, the photo-ID proposal is slimy, discriminatory, and possibly illegal. Ohio Democrats are firmly opposed. Surprisingly, so is Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted. This is a rare moment of reason and fairness from Husted, who as a state senator, infamously represented Kettering while living in Upper Arlington.
A cynic might suggest that Husted's principled stand is only a charade stage-managed by King Kasich and his minions: "Look, Jon, we all understand what this bill is all about and we all know it's dirty as hell, but it's good for the party, we've got the numbers, and we're gonna ram it through. But as Secretary of State, you've gotta be against it. It's kinda like, you know, your job to oppose shit like this. So you play Good Cop and come out against it, we'll pass the goddam thing anyway, and the party's got your back a hundred percent. OK, old buddy?"
They wouldn't do anything like that, would they?
(P.S. Just saw something saying the R's might change their minds and withdraw this bill. If true, that would be nice.)