13 suspected non-citizens voted in 2020 Ohio elections

Jul. 12—COLUMBUS — Ohio's top elections official on Monday referred 117 suspected non-U.S. citizens who'd registered or voted in 2020 to the attorney general's office for further investigation.

In the past, the attorney general has referred many similar cases to county prosecutors for potential felony charges.

"What Ohioans should know is voter fraud is exceedingly rare in Ohio, but when it occurs we take it seriously," Secretary of State Frank LaRose said. "In a state with nearly 8 million registered voters, we have found 117 cases here that we think could possibly constitute voter fraud."

Annually, the secretary of state's office cross-references registration and voter data with Bureau of Motor Vehicles records. It identified that 104 people believed to be legal Ohio residents but not U.S. citizens had registered to vote.

Thirteen more had taken the additional step of actually voting during a 2020 election. While a minuscule fraction of the number of votes cast in 2020, these 13 votes were included in the official counts.

Franklin County led the way in the state with 32 people believed to have illegally registered with another eight voting.

In northwest Ohio, Lucas and Wood counties each had three suspected illegal registrations with Fulton, Seneca, and Defiance each with one. None of these actually voted.

In all, the office sent out letters to 163 individuals with these 117 not responding as to their status. Others voluntarily removed their registrations, apparently unaware that what they had done was illegal. Some indicated that they had become citizens, so the BMV information was out of date.

When someone registers to vote, they must sign a form indicating that they are a citizen.

"Citizenship matters," Mr. LaRose said. "It's an important status, something we should all treasure. With that comes the ability to be a voter. We want all Ohioans who are eligible to be able to cast a ballot. Certainly, only citizens are able to do so."

Illegally registering to vote can be a fifth-degree felony, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2.500 fine, and casting an illegal vote is a fourth-degree felony, carrying up to 18 months and $5,000.

The number of flagged registrations is roughly consistent with what Ohio has seen with annual reviews in recent years.

Mr. LaRose said the office is aware of 23 people who are registered in the 11th and 15th congressional districts in the Cleveland and Columbus areas where 2021 special elections are currently under way.

The Republican secretary of state has promoted a number of provisions contained in House Bill 294, a voting reform bill that remains in committee while lawmakers' summer recess continues into mid-September.

In particular, he has called for allowing Ohioans to apply for absentee ballots on line and creating an "automated" system through which Ohioans can opt to have the information they provide to the BMV used to register them to vote.

He said having citizenship verified by the BMV at the front end might help to alleviate the problem.

"Prosecutors will review these cases, and an even fewer number will end up being confirmed as wrongful actions," said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. "Keep in mind that there were 13 possible cases of non-citizens voting of nearly 6 million ballots cast, which shows that voting fraud is exceedingly rare and not enough to sway the results of any election in Ohio."

Ohio's 2020 general election has not faced the allegations of voter fraud that former President Donald Trump has heaped upon states like Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The Republican former president handily won Ohio for a second time in November, unlike this handful of states that flipped, tipping the election to now President Joe Biden.

First Published July 12, 2021, 12:55pm