Ohio Achieves Election Integrity Milestone by Identifying Illegal Voters

The Ohio Secretary of State’s office has unveiled a significant concern regarding the integrity of state voter rolls, identifying hundreds of noncitizens registered to vote. The Ohio elections have recently faced scrutiny due to evidence involving 138 non-U.S. citizens who allegedly participated in elections, leading to referrals to the state attorney general’s office.

This revelation is the result of a comprehensive audit of the state’s voter rolls, particularly overseen by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. His office has been actively ensuring the integrity of Ohio’s electoral process, particularly regarding the participation of individuals not entitled to vote.

“I’m duty-bound to make sure people who haven’t yet earned citizenship in this country do not vote in our elections,” LaRose emphasized in a recent statement. “We’ve identified 597 individuals who’ve registered to vote in Ohio despite not being citizens of the United States, as our state constitution requires.” LaRose’s commitment to the rule of law reflects a broader trend across various states to scrutinize voter registration processes.

Aside from the initial findings, the audit has uncovered that among the 597 identified noncitizen registrations, 148 were from the year 2022, 117 in 2021, and a significant 354 registrations traced back to 2019. This data highlights ongoing challenges related to noncitizen voting within the state’s electoral framework.

In addition to addressing noncitizen registrations, LaRose’s audit has led to the removal of tens of thousands of inactive voters from the rolls. To date, over 155,000 registrations have been recognized as abandoned and inactive for at least the last four consecutive years, attributing to the generation of secure and accurate voter rolls.

The audit employs a meticulous examination of records sourced from various agencies, including the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database, the Social Security Administration, and federal jury pool data. Such a multifaceted approach underscores the seriousness with which the Ohio Secretary of State’s office treats the integrity of its elections.

As LaRose elaborated, “I swore an oath to uphold the constitution of our state, and that document clearly states that only United States citizens can participate in Ohio elections. This places a duty on me to ensure that those without citizenship do not have a voice in our electoral process. If or when they do become citizens, I’ll be the first one to congratulate them and welcome them to the franchise, but until then the law requires us to remove ineligible registrations to prevent illegal voting.”

These measures are part of a broader national discourse on voter integrity, with various states evaluating their processes in response to concerns about noncitizen voting. As reported by political analyst Michele Swers, “Protecting the integrity of elections is not merely an administrative duty but a foundational aspect of democracy, which depends on the trust of its citizens.”

This ongoing audit not only assures citizens of Ohio about the integrity of their elections but serves as a potential model for other states grappling with similar issues. The commitment shown by LaRose’s office could set a precedent for using state resources effectively to safeguard electoral processes.