Yesterday, after a 30-second debate, the Ohio House passed HB 159. The vote was strictly along party lines. HB 159 would require all registered voters to present a photo ID -- driver's license, passport, or government ID card -- at their polling place. Current law accepts other non-photo forms of identification, such as utility bills, bank statements, etc.
Republicans who introduced this bill say it will help reduce voter fraud. And showing a driver's license seems reasonable enough.
But, beyond House Democrats, here's who's opposed to HB 159: the former director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, the director of election law at OSU's Moritz Law College, the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, and the AARP. And Buster too.
Why all the opposition? Because HB 159 is not about voter fraud. The truth is we don't have a voter fraud problem in Ohio. At all. None. Zip. Nada. HB 159 is all about suppressing voter turnout, an age-old Republican favorite. The R's know that some young people, many senior citizens and many in lower socio-economic segments don't always have a driver's license. They know that these folks sure as hell don't have a passport, and that obtaining a government-issued photo ID is a pain in the ass. And of course they know that most of these people would probably vote Democratic.
What does it say about you when your election strategy is to keep the vote total as low as possible? It says you're a fucking sleazeball.
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