Both Husted and U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno are on board with what’s known as the “SAVE America Act,” a GOP plan that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, and then a photo ID at the polls on Election Day.
That GOP bill was approved 218-213 by the House earlier this month, but it faces an uphill fight in the U.S. Senate, as Democrats have denounced its requirements for citizenship and voter ID.
“The SAVE Act is a terrible bill,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Cincinnati, who voted against the plan in the House. “It’s undemocratic. It’s un-American. Every single member of Congress should be against this.”
While there are few cases where a non-citizen votes in U.S. elections, the concern over the possibility has become a rallying cry for many Republicans in recent years.
“The SAVE America Act protects the integrity of American elections,” said U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio.
The GOP plan would require citizenship checks when a voter first registers, or when someone moves to a new address. The plan would require Ohio residents to show either a valid U.S. passport, or a driver’s license and birth certificate for that registration check.
That has alarmed some voting rights groups.
“Our research shows that more than 21 million Americans lack ready access to those documents,” said the Brennan Center, a voting rights advocacy group. “The SAVE Act would make voting harder for millions of Americans.”
The original plan would have been even more restrictive, as Republicans at first proposed having voters confirm their citizenship both when registering to vote -- and a second time at the polls. That was dropped from the bill which was approved by the House.
Among the loudest opponents are women Democrats who worry that married women - whose birth names don’t match their driver’s license - might be blocked from registering to vote.
“This bill would disenfranchise millions,” said U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio.
Republicans counter that it’s nothing but a scare tactic.
“The SAVE America Act is critical to our nation’s future,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Rulli, R-Ohio. “The Senate must act now.”
Getting the Senate to vote is where this story gets a bit more complicated. Republicans don’t have 60 votes to stop a filibuster, so some GOP senators want to see if they can use the Senate rules to pass the bill with just a bare majority, by forcing opponents into a talking filibuster.
Under that scenario, senators would be limited to no more than two speeches on every amendment or question. Some in the GOP believe they could wear down Democratic opponents in a debate that could take weeks - or even months.
“It can be hard work,” said U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, “but sometimes that’s necessary — and passing the SAVE America Act is worth the effort.”
While some Ohio state GOP leaders have chafed at talk from Trump of exercising more control over elections, the Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate federal elections for the House, Senate, and presidency.
One provision of the bill would alter how Ohio residents vote by mail. The measure going to the U.S. Senate would require all voters to make a copy of their photo ID - like a driver’s license - and send that in the mail along with their absentee ballot.
The “SAVE America” plan is not the only major elections bill in the pipeline for Republicans on Capitol Hill. Another GOP measure - known as the “Make Elections Great Again Act” - would ban most voting by mail, returning to strict limits on who can get an absentee or mail ballot. It’s not clear if that will get a vote in the House this year.
While the two parties are far apart, Trump is likely to use his State of the Union Address to call for action.
“No Voter I.D. is even crazier, and more ridiculous, than Men playing in Women’s Sports,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website. “Republicans must put this at the top of every speech — It is a CAN’T MISS FOR RE-ELECTION IN THE MIDTERMS.”
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