Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has taken a significant step in ensuring the integrity of the state's elections by referring the names of 597 noncitizens who registered to vote to Attorney General Dave Yost. This referral, which could lead to potential prosecution, highlights ongoing efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls and uphold Ohio's election laws.
The audit, which identified these individuals, also revealed that 138 of them appeared to have cast ballots in an Ohio election despite federal records showing they were not U.S. citizens at the time. LaRose emphasized the importance of this action, stating, “I’m duty-bound to make sure people who haven’t yet earned citizenship in this country do not vote in our elections”.
Ohio before Supreme Court ruling (not allowing illegals to vote) and Ohio after their ruling. Ohio is Red! pic.twitter.com/Q9pfTq41hT
— Noble Road (@noble_road) August 22, 2024
This move is part of a broader effort by LaRose's office to audit and clean up Ohio’s voter registration database. Earlier this year, the Secretary of State’s office removed nearly 155,000 inactive registrations as part of its ongoing maintenance of voter records. Additionally, LaRose's office has implemented the most extensive citizenship verification audit in Ohio's history, cross-referencing state voter rolls with federal databases, including those maintained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration.
The citizenship verification process has been rigorous, involving cross-checks with multiple federal and state resources such as the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and federal jury pool data. LaRose’s office is also working to include the DHS's Person Centric Query System (PCQS) in its future audits, further tightening the verification process.
đłď¸ Election Watch / Ohio & Illegals
Ohio secretary of state finds 597 noncitizens registered to vote, 138 have already votedhttps://t.co/yctIcQh4k8
— Biff Smallberries (@B_Smallberries) August 23, 2024
LaRose's actions come on the heels of a constitutional amendment passed by Ohio voters in 2022, which explicitly prohibits noncitizens from voting in any election, local or statewide. This amendment was a response to earlier local decisions, such as the village of Yellow Springs allowing noncitizen voting, which the new law overturned.
This is not the first time LaRose has referred cases of potential voter fraud for prosecution. Recently, he sent evidence of suspected election law violations to prosecutors in 20 counties across Ohio. These efforts underscore a broader commitment by LaRose and his office to ensure that Ohio’s elections remain secure and free from fraud.
The upcoming November election adds urgency to these actions, as LaRose has indicated that investigations are ongoing and more noncitizen registrations may be removed from the rolls before then. The last day to register to vote for this election is October 7, and the Secretary of State’s office is determined to ensure that only eligible voters participate.
These developments reinforce the message that Ohio is vigilant about maintaining the sanctity of its elections and that efforts to fraudulently participate in the voting process will be met with serious consequences. As Attorney General Yost reviews these cases, it remains to be seen how many will lead to prosecutions and what impact this will have on future election integrity efforts in Ohio.
