Ohio official creates voting integrity team
Democrats call it a waste of money
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s Republican elections chief on Wednesday announced a new public integrity unit in response to what he called Americans’ “crisis of confidence” in the electoral process even while acknowledging the state’s reputation for secure voting.
The unit, taking effect next week, will consolidate and highlight the Ohio secretary of state’s investigative work and eventually have one or more dedicated investigators, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in a statement. Those investigators won’t start until after the General Election, however.
He referenced a growing national trend “that indicates a crisis of confidence in the electoral process.”
That crisis is largely a concern of Republican voters and stems from claims by former President Donald Trump.
Numerous federal and local election officials in both parties, a long list of courts, top former campaign staffers and even Trump’s own attorney general have all said there is no evidence of the election fraud the former president alleges.
For his part, LaRose initially said the 2020 election was secure and accurate, but as last spring’s primary neared — which LaRose won, defeating a 2020 election skeptic — he began to echo some of Trump’s talking points.
LaRose claimed there were problems in other states and touted his office’s work to combat voter fraud. Trump endorsed LaRose, a longtime supporter.
LaRose said his new division will help his office more efficiently and thoroughly do work it already does, such as voting system certification and investigation of election law violations, including a team dedicated to looking into rare cases of voter fraud or suppression and campaign finance violations, said LaRose, who is seeking a second term in November.
LaRose’s announcement follows a decision in Florida in which lawmakers and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis created a police force dedicated to pursuing voter fraud and other election crimes.
Democrats called LaRose’s effort a waste of taxpayer dollars aimed at bolstering his political aspirations. LaRose’s name is often mentioned as a possible 2024 U.S. Senate candidate.
LaRose identified just a single case of possible illegal voting earlier this year, said party spokesman Matt Keyes, making the new office “a taxpayer-funded solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.”
Chelsea Clark, LaRose’s Democratic opponent, questioned the timing of the announcement. She also noted LaRose’s efforts to keep his other opponent, independent candidate Terpeshore Maras, off the ballot. Clark called out LaRose for a “history of politicizing these investigations to punish opponents.”