Ohio’s recent agreement with the Trump administration marks a significant step toward cleaner voter rolls in the state. On Monday, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced that the agreement will provide Ohio with enhanced federal records from the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database for the next two decades. Access to this database, which had been limited and expensive in the past, gives LaRose the necessary tools to verify U.S. citizenship among registered voters more effectively. LaRose emphasized that this agreement is vital for maintaining election integrity, stating, “Ohio has a duty to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, and this agreement gives us the tools to do that job right.”
This arrangement also comes after a lawsuit LaRose filed against the Department of Homeland Security while under the Biden administration. Access to the SAVE data had been restricted, with states facing fees for each query. Such limitations hindered efforts to verify voter eligibility. “I appreciate the Trump administration for working with us to deliver long-term access to the federal data needed to protect election integrity,” LaRose noted. This display of bipartisan cooperation highlights the ongoing significance of secure voting practices across party lines.
Already, LaRose’s office has taken substantial action. It has removed tens of thousands of wrongful voter registrations in Ohio as they prepare for the 2024 elections. Recently, over 1,000 noncitizens were referred to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution after being found to have “appear[ed] to have registered to vote unlawfully in Ohio.” The data points to some troubling findings: of the 1,084 cases reviewed, 167 individuals may have actually voted in a federal election since 2018, revealing serious flaws in the registration process.
Among these cases, 99 individuals were suspected of voting in two states during the same federal election, while 16 appear to have voted twice in Ohio. Even more alarming, 14 individuals are reported to have cast ballots after their deaths, which raises fundamental questions about the integrity of Ohio’s voter rolls. Additionally, there are instances where four individuals engaged in ballot harvesting and two registered at unlawful residences.
In further efforts to enhance voter integrity, LaRose’s office also removed over 155,000 voter registrations confirmed to be abandoned or inactive for at least four consecutive years. This proactive approach indicates a commitment to clean and verifiable election processes, aligning with broader concerns about voter integrity throughout the nation.
The developments in Ohio serve as a case study for other states grappling with similar issues. Verifying the citizenship of voters is an essential aspect of maintaining the democratic process. As more states pursue similar agreements and create robust measures to ensure only eligible individuals can exercise their right to vote, LaRose’s actions could pave the way for a nationwide discussion on the importance of secure voter registration practices.
"*" indicates required fields
