Senate Race Centers On Voter ID Laws As Candidate Backed Judge Who Called Them ‘White Supremacy’
By Derek Vanbuskirk
Published on April 2, 2026.
Ohio's Senate race is focusing on voter ID policy as former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown is running again to reclaim his seat. Natasha Merle, a judge who reportedly linked voter ID laws to "white supremacy," was confirmed by a margin of one vote in a 2023 vote for a post with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. In a 2017 podcast appearance, Merle reportedly compared such voter ID legislation to "dogs and whips" previously used on minorities to repress American minorities. Republican Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, who took over from Vice President JD Vance, defended Merle's radical views, stating that 60% to 70% of African American and Hispanic voters support the idea of voter ID.
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