Jon A. Husted

The 2016 Pew Charitable Trust's Elections Performance Index showed that Ohio's average wait time at the polls on Election Day had decreased in recent years and was below the national average. Husted boasted about this ranking in a press release following the biannual release of the national rankings.

On March 7, 2016, the ACLU of Ohio sent a letter to Husted's office indicating their opinion that 17-year-olds should be allowed to vote in the 2016 primary March 15. On March 9, lawyers on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders filed a lawsuit against Husted's office. On March 11, an Ohio judge ruled that 17-year-olds could vote in the primary.

In September 2016, Husted launched a program called "Safe at Home." The program's stated goal was to give victims of domestic violence and human trafficking the ability to apply for a confidential address through the Secretary of State's office that they can use when interacting with government agencies to avoid the possibility of their actual home address becoming a public record.

Husted leaned heavily on technology in his efforts to streamline the operation of his office, which allowed him to reduce spending over his predecessor, Democrat Jennifer Brunner, by $14.5 million in his first term. The cuts, heavily driven by staff reductions, received some criticism by labor groups. In 2015, Husted announced he would close his office's in-house business call center and instead contract with a nonprofit organization in northeast Ohio called the Cleveland Sight Center, which employs individuals who are blind or have significant visual impairments. In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Husted's spokesman said it was part of the Secretary's mission to offer better services at a lower cost to taxpayers.

He was re-elected in 2014 against the Democratic challenger, then-State Senator Nina Turner by over 700,000 votes.

In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, he said loved playing sports but was a "terrible student" up until his sophomore year of high school. "Eventually, when I learned how important my grades were going to be to playing college sports, the light bulb came on and I learned to focus on it," said Husted, who would go on to become an All-American defensive back for the University of Dayton. Husted supported the legislative efforts of State Senator Cliff Hite (R–Findlay), which sought to restrict school districts' ability to charge participation fees, though the legislation did not make it out of committee.

All Ohio businesses are required to maintain a business registration with the Secretary of State's Office and the business services division was the focus of a large number of changes after Husted took office in 2011. In 2013, he launched the Ohio Business Central program, which allowed businesses to file the necessary paperwork with the state online.

Husted was elected Ohio Secretary of State in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. He was a candidate in the Republican Party primary for Governor of Ohio in the 2018 election but later announced that he would instead run for lieutenant governor of Ohio as Attorney General Mike DeWine's running mate.

Husted was first elected Ohio Secretary of State in 2010 after defeating Democratic challenger Maryellen O'Shaughnessy by nearly a half-million votes. In this role, Husted served as the swing state's chief elections official. The office also serves as the filing location for new businesses in Ohio.

In 2008, as Speaker of the House, Husted was accused of being "in sync" with FirstEnergy in their energy regulation dispute with Gov. Ted Strickland and the state's largest manufacturers. Husted supported FirstEnergy's position over the regulation sought by the Governor and manufacturers to control FirstEnergy's highest rates in the state. Since 2001, Husted has accepted $39,500 from FirstEnergy's political action committee, and since 2008, has accepted $71,000 from FirstEnergy employees.

In October 2008, Husted became the subject of an electoral investigation concerning his residency. The Secretary of State's office ultimately cast a vote which broke the tie of an elections panel voting on the matter in 2009, deciding that he was not a resident of the district he represented, based on utility bills which highlighted his official residence hadn't been used for quite some time. In October 2009, the Ohio Supreme Court reversed the decision finding in favor of the Secretary of State.

Jon Husted married his wife, Tina, in 2006. He is the father of three children. The Husted family lives in the Columbus-area suburb of Upper Arlington.

In 2005, while representing the 41st Ohio house district, Husted was criticized for a fishing trip during Memorial Day Weekend, which included three Columbus lobbyists in the middle of an important budget debate, in which the lobbyists had a stake in the budget outcome. Husted had initially denied the lobbyists were involved in politics. Following criticism of his ethics, Husted increased his personal reimbursements for the trips.

At the end of 2004, Husted requested the use of National Cash Register's private jet to attend the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. He was later criticized for this action.

While completing his master's degree at the University of Dayton, Husted was offered a job on the football coaching staff at the University of Toledo, but instead chose to work on a local political campaign. He then stayed in the Dayton area and worked for Montgomery County Commissioner Don Lucas and was eventually named Vice-President of Business and Economic Development at the Dayton-Area Chamber of Commerce, a position he held until seeking public office as State Representative in 2000.

After working for the Dayton-Area Chamber of Commerce and turning down an opportunity to coach football at the University of Toledo, Husted ran for office in 2000 in a five-way race for state representative, defeating his closest opponent by over 12 percent of the vote. He went on to serve as Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, State Senator and Ohio Secretary of State.

*2000 election notes: Richard Hartmann received 3,934 votes, Bryan Carey (L) received 904 votes and Charles Turner (N) received 705 votes.

He later received both a bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Dayton where he played on the Dayton Flyers Football team. His senior year, the team won the 1989 NCAA Division III National Championship Game in Phoenix City, Alabama.

Husted graduated from Montpelier High School in 1985.

Jon A. Husted (born August 25, 1967) is the 66th and current lieutenant governor of Ohio, since 2019. He was previously the 53rd Ohio Secretary of State. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 6th District of the Ohio Senate (a portion of Montgomery County) from 2009 to 2011 and was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009. From 2005 to 2009, Husted served as Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives and remains one of the youngest people to ever become Ohio House Speaker.

Husted was born in the Detroit area in 1967 and was immediately placed for adoption. He has stated that his biological father did not want him and his biological mother was unable to care for him. He was adopted by Jim and Judy Husted and raised in the Northwest Ohio Community of Montpelier, Ohio as the oldest of three children. His father was a machine operator. Husted cites his experience having been adopted as a child as the foundation for his staunch opposition to abortion.