Sherrod Brown calls voter ID ‘unnecessary’ — disagrees with Republican opponent Husted

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown admitted he doesn’t think people should be required to present an identification before voting, a position that radically differs from that of his Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, and may put him at odds with most Ohioans.

Brown told The Dayton Daily News that Republicans’ battle against voter fraud allegedly sends the wrong message about the country’s election security.

“For years, Ohio has had safe and secure elections that have been administered in a bipartisan fashion. It’s wrong that people are trying to sow distrust in our election systems,” he said. “Our leaders should be trying to make it easier to vote, not creating unnecessary barriers that threaten the ability of hardworking Ohioans to vote early, mail in their ballots, or vote on Election Day.”

Most Americans, however, don’t agree with Brown. Heritage Action’s poll said that 71% of Americans support requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, and 69% agree that only American citizens should vote in federal elections.

Additionally, a poll by the Pew Research Center showed that 83% of American adults support “requiring all voters to show government-issued photo identification to vote,” with 71% of self-identified Democrats supporting presenting their ID before being allowed to vote.

While there doesn’t appear to be any current polling on Ohioans’ positions on voter ID requirements, a December 2023 finding from the Center for Excellence in Polling found that three-quarters, or 75%, of Ohio voters found it easy or very easy to obtain an approved form of photo identification for voting. That total included 76% of Democrats, higher than the 74% of Republicans.

Respondents also said that “the requirement to present an approved form of photo identification did not make a difference in ease of voting compared to previous elections.”

Brown’s rhetoric also contrasted with Husted’s position. Husted made election integrity his most recent major issue, going so far as to propose a mandated voter ID for federal elections, but the measure was blocked last week.

Among the proposed forms of the voting ID were “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,” according to Husted.

Ohio GOP Chairman Alex Triantafillou expressed his disappointment with the proposal’s failure during an interview with The Dayton Daily News.

“Photo identification is standard for nearly every aspect of our lives,” he said. “I think it’s an important thing to firm up the integrity of our process and to make millions of Americans feel safer about the integrity of their vote.”

The proposal came amid the debate over the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would require proof of citizenship before voters are added to state voter rolls and when a voter updates their registration.

In 2011, Brown also joined other Democrats in urging the Obama Department of Justice to review voter ID laws they claimed could “disenfranchise” voters, according to the press release from that time.

“Photo ID is overwhelmingly supported across Ohio, but Sherrod Brown is siding with far-left crazies over commonsense rules and safe elections. Meanwhile, Senator Jon Husted is in lockstep with Ohioans and fighting to ensure American elections are safe and secure.” Republican National Convention’s Spokesman Hunter Lovell, told Ohio.News in an email.