To maintain the purity of Ohio's voter registration rolls, Secretary of State Frank LaRose has taken steps to enforce the mandate that only American citizens may partake in American elections within the state. As outlined in a directive issued yesterday, the Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's Office is initiating a more aggressive approach to remove noncitizens from the voter list, which now becomes part of routine list maintenance rather than an annual audit.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's statement, "Ohioans have issued a clear and constitutional mandate that in our state, American elections are only for American citizens." Charged with the duty to ensure honest and accurate voter rolls, LaRose's office, in concert with the Ohio BMV data and the federal SAVE database, identified 62 voter registrations connected to individuals recognized as noncitizens. Rightfully, individuals must respond to notices from LaRose's office confirming citizenship or face cancellation and are directed to be removed by the boards of elections.
To ensure the process's legality, Ohio voters cemented their stance on this issue, with an overwhelming 76 percent voting in favor of a constitutional amendment in 2022, making it explicit that only U.S. citizens can vote in Ohio elections. The DATA Act also strengthens boards of elections' obligation to purge illegal or ineligible registrations.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose expressed confidence in the current administration, anticipating improved state access to federal citizenship records and enhancing enforcement of voting prerequisites. "I'm confident that with this new administration, we'll be able to give states better access to these records so we can more effectively enforce citizenship voting requirements," he told those gathered for the directive's announcement. Individuals removed in this process are not left without recourse. They will receive a notice and may appeal by proving citizenship, casting a provisional ballot, and verifying their status during the cure period.
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