Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose
November 27, 2020
SECRETARY
LAROSE CERTIFIES 2020 PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL
ELECTION RESULTS
COLUMBUS – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose
today certified the official results of the 2020
Presidential General Election. The Secretary’s
signature today marks the completion of the official
canvass and certifies winners in the 2020 General
Election.
Data was collected by the Ohio Secretary of State’s
office from the official canvass conducted and
submitted by Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections.
The Secretary of State conducted a
precinct-by-precinct review of the data prior to
certification.
A
list of all 88 county boards of election is
available by following this link.
VIDEO:
Official Certification of the 2020 General
Election
THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY - THE
MOST ACCESSIBLE AND SECURE ELECTION IN OHIO
HISTORY
ALL-TIME RECORD-BREAKING PARTICIPATION - Ohio’s
most accessible election ever
- The nearly 6
million votes cast are 200,344 more votes than
the all-time record of 5,773,777 set in the 2008
general election.
- The record 74%
turnout surpasses the average of the
presidential general election average from
2000-2020 of 65%.
- All 88
counties had a higher turnout than in 2016
- Eight counties
had a turnout rate above 80 percent. The
previous record of two was set in 2000.
ALL-TIME RECORD SET FOR EARLY AND
ABSENTEE VOTING – Secretary LaRose's goal of
maximizing early and absentee voting was a
quantifiable success
- 58.6% of all
votes cast in the election were done early
in-person or by absentee ballot. Four years ago,
33.5% cast their ballot in the same way.
- 94% absentee
ballot return rate surpasses rates from 2008,
2012, and 2016
ALL TIME LOW NUMBER OF REJECTED BALLOTS -
efforts to educate voters and redesign absentee
voting forms, instructions and envelopes worked
- Rejection Rates by General Election:
- November 2020:
0.42%
- November 2016:
0.85%
- November 2012:
1.03%
- With the
massive increase in mail-in absentee voting,
including many first-time vote by mail users,
conventional wisdom was that the rate of
rejection would increase. In fact, thanks to
reforms put in place by Secretary LaRose and the
efforts of county boards of elections, the
absentee ballot rejection rate for the November
2020 election was half that of previous
elections. Reasons for the significant
improvement include the policy decision to
require county boards to quickly contact voters
who may need to correct information on their
ballot by using the voter’s e-mail address or
phone number, in addition to the lawfully
required mail notice. Additionally, major
improvements to the design of the forms made
them easier to correctly fill out and return.
DESPITE PARTISAN FEAR-MONGERING, VOTING
BY MAIL WAS RELIABLE - efforts to work with USPS
and hold them accountable paid-off.
- Secretary
LaRose worked closely with the United States
Postal Service to provide for the successful
delivery of election mail throughout the
election. These efforts included systematic
changes, like new all-clear procedures at
processing centers, as well communications with
USPS representatives to promote accountability.
Additionally, Secretary LaRose made the prompt
return of absentee ballots a key point in
messaging throughout the course of the general
election. As a result, there were only 84
ballots that were correctly postmarked by
November 2nd but not received by the county
board of elections within the legally required
10 days after the election. By comparison, 317
ballots were returned late by the postal service
in the primary election – in just one county.
ALL TIME LOW NUMBER OF PROVISIONAL
BALLOTS - poll worker training and voter
education combined with smart policies makes a
difference for Ohio voters.
- Total Provisional Ballots by General
Election:
- November 2020:
154,675
- November 2016:
154,965
- November 2012:
208,084
- November 2008:
206,859
- Fewer
provisional ballots cast in the November 2020
election than in previous elections is a
testament to policies that have made it less
necessary to utilize a provisional ballot to
cast your vote. For example, a policy decision
was made this year that allowed voters who
requested an absentee ballot but decided to vote
early in-person to cast a standard ballot if
they voted early in-person instead of a
provisional ballot.
- Provisional
rejection rates by election:
- Presidential
General Election 2020: 15.75%
- Presidential
General Election 2008-2020 Average: 16.60%
- Top three
reasons for provisional rejection: Voter not
registered in state (~70%),
- Voters
registered in state but voted in the wrong
precinct and polling location (~10%), and
Voter already voted (5%)
WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?
"Thanks to the Secretary of State’s excellent work
reaching out to the Latino community with a unifying
message that highlights the importance of our
participation in the electoral process, where more
than 200,000 Latinos were eligible to vote in the
2020 election. We want to congratulate Secretary
LaRose on his outstanding performance throughout the
election process."
-
Lilly Cavanaugh, Director of Ohio Latino Affairs
Commission.
"Every
voter I spoke with had a good experience voting,
whether be it in person with the help of our great
poll workers, or by filling out an absentee ballot
at their home, Ohioans were proud to make their
voice heard and I'm proud it is so easy." - Rev. Jeffrey
Jemison, President of Interdenominational
Ministerial Alliance of Ohio.
"Even in
crowded urban areas of Ohio, the long socially
distanced lines moved rapidly. Everyone in them
seemed upbeat and positive, trusting their vote
would be counted." -
Pastor John T. Coats II, President of
Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of
Columbus and Vicinity.
“Ohio’s smooth election could not have happened
without the 56,000 newly trained poll workers that
stepped up and were more than helpful to millions
of voters who chose to vote in person on Election
Day.” -
Terrance Gragston, Co-Chairman of the Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity Inc., District of Ohio Policy
Council.
“As
with all massive operations involving 6 million
people, issues arose, but poll workers, boards of
elections, and the Secretary of State’s office
were quick to solve them or fall back on planned
contingencies to still ensure voters were able to
cast a ballot. Ohio had a smooth election for a
reason.” -
Pierre Bejjani, Founder & President of
Cleveland American Middle East Organization
(C.A.M.E.O.)
WHAT'S NEXT?
On Monday, December 14, 2020 at noon, the 18 members
of Ohio’s Electoral College will gather in the
Senate Chamber of the Statehouse to cast their
electoral votes for president and vice-president.
This occasion marks the 55th meeting of the Ohio
Electoral College since statehood in 1803.
Counties continue the post-election audit process,
further ensuring Ohioans have faith in the integrity
of the electoral process and that every valid vote
is counted.
Ohio Secretary of State
Frank LaRose
November 2, 2020
OHIO SHATTERS EARLY VOTING RECORDS - ON ELECTION
EVE, 3.4 MILLION OHIOANS HAVE ALREADY CAST BALLOTS
COLUMBUS – Tomorrow is Election Day! 3.4 million
Ohio voters have cast their absentee ballot or voted
early – shattering all previous records. Prior to
this election, Ohio had never surpassed 2 million
total votes in the entirety of the early voting
period. With 243,023 absentee ballots still
outstanding, Ohio’s early vote total is already 180
percent of the previous early vote record and equals
60 percent of the total number of votes cast in the
entire 2016 General Election. This data includes all
ballots received and processed through 2:00pm on
Monday afternoon.
Beginning in the spring, Secretary LaRose identified
poll worker recruitment, voter registration, health
protocols, PPE distribution, combatting
disinformation and, in order to reduce the burden on
voting locations on election day, maximizing
participation in early and absentee voting as the
key priorities for conducting a successful election
amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. These numbers show
without a doubt that the goal of maximizing voter
participation in early and absentee voting has been
achieved. The quantifiable metrics for each of these
distinct objectives makes it clear that our pandemic
preparations have been a success and Ohio is ready
for this election. Earlier today the Secretary
shared this video(opens in a new window)
illustrating the high state of preparedness Ohio has
achieved as we have worked together over the last
eight months.
Additional analysis of the data indicates that
absentee ballots are being returned at a rate that
drastically outpaces that of 2016. 2,071,699
absentee ballots have been returned to county boards
of elections. In 2016, that number was essentially
half that with just 1,136,728 absentee ballots
returned. The doubling of the number of returned
absentee ballots relative to 2016 is a very strong
indicator that election mail is moving quickly and
the expansion of secure drop boxes to every county
board of elections for the first time in a general
election, as ordered by the Secretary of State, has
made it easier than ever for voters to return their
ballots.
Absentee ballot requests increased by 612,241to a
total of 3,785,827requests received by county boards
of elections statewide. The total number of absentee
ballots requested includes 26,488 requests from
military and overseas voters. At the same time
during the 2016 election, 1,994,911 absentee ballots
had been requested. 243,023 outstanding absentee
ballots have not yet been returned to their county
board of elections. Absentee ballots must be
postmarked by today, November 2nd or delivered to
the voter’s respective county board of elections by
7:30pm on November 3rd.
Ohio voters enjoy more hours for early in-person
voting than voters in 43 other states. As of Monday
afternoon, 1,339,764 Ohioans have voted early
in-person. For comparison, at the same point in
2016, 661,549 voters had visited their early vote
center to cast their ballot.
“Ohioans have refused to listen to the fear mongers
who have spent months trying to convince them that
it’s hard to vote – they’re proving it’s easy with
every record broken,” said LaRose. “As ballots
mailed on time continue to come in over the next ten
days, Ohioans should rest assured that each legally
cast ballot will be counted and their voice will be
heard.”
[Graphics]
County-by-county data may be found by clicking here
(XLSX)(opens in a new window).
All absentee ballots received by the county board of
elections by the close of polls on November 3rd will
be included in the unofficial vote totals released
on election night. Outstanding ballots that are
postmarked by November 2nd and received by the
county board of elections within 10 days after the
election will be included in the final official
results that are released in late November. Every
properly cast ballot will be counted. Boards of
Elections must contact and can help voters correct
any issues with their respective ballot up until the
7th day after the election. The Ohio Secretary of
State must certify the official election results by
November 28th.
Of the 42 states that run a traditional absentee
voting system, a comprehensive review by the
Brookings Institute determined no state does it
better than Ohio. SOURCE:
www.brookings.edu/research/voting-by-mail-in-a-pandemic-a-state-by-state-scorecard/(opens
in a new window).
Ohioans can learn more about absentee voting at
VoteOhio.gov(opens in a new window).
Absentee voting in Ohio is time-tested and has
strong security checks in place.
- Ohioans have utilized absentee voting for
nearly two decades, and that has allowed Ohio to
put in place both the laws and processes
necessary to make absentee voting secure against
fraud.
- Voter identification and signature are checked
TWICE during the process.
- Voter list maintenance allows for accurate
voter rolls.
- Ballot harvesting is against the law in Ohio.
- Voters are able to track their ballot on
VoteOhio.gov/Track(opens in a new window).
These requirements and processes, as well as strict
laws against voter fraud, have made absentee voting
secure in Ohio and instances of voter fraud
exceedingly rare.
Holding the United States Postal Service
Accountable.
During the primary, the USPS committed to
implementing the following protocols at the urging
of Secretary LaRose. It’s our understanding that
these improvements will be continued this fall:
- USPS will institute “all clear” processes at
each sorting facility to ensure all election
mail is processed each day.
- Staff will recheck collection bins each day to
ensure late arriving ballots are retrieved.
- USPS will set up hand-to-hand delivery for
election mail as it makes its way through
processing on the Saturday prior to Election
Day, from the board of elections to the
distribution center.
- Postal facilities will track election mail
deliveries to Ohio’s boards of elections.
- Election mail will not be routed through the
Detroit Regional Distribution Center. Instead it
will be kept in-state.
###
Ohio Secretary of State
Frank LaRose
October 22, 2020
LAROSE ANNOUNCES A NEW RECORD FOR COMMITTED POLL
WORKERS
COLUMBUS – With 12 days until the election, an
all-time high of 53,981 Ohioans have signed up to
serve as a poll worker on November 3rd! This
includes 23,140 Democratic poll workers and 20,206
Republicans. 74 Counties have met, or are close to
meeting, their recruitment goal for the November
election. A review of all county data shows Ohio
remains 6,037 poll workers short of the goal of
recruiting 55,165 poll workers.
The county-level details can be seen on Ohio’s
first-ever Poll Worker Tracker(opens in a new
window), an innovative recruiting and accountability
tool which has received national attention. The
tracker continues to give Ohioans, counties, and
partner organizations clear goals for poll worker
recruitment for the November election.
As a percentage of their goal, these counties are
furthest away from meeting the goal of poll workers
set by Secretary LaRose: Ashland County, Hocking
County, Pike County, Greene County, and Jackson
County. By quantity, Summit County remains the
furthest away from meeting their goal with 837 more
poll workers needed.
Since the primary, the Secretary’s recruiting
efforts, in conjunction with civic organizations
Poll Hero and Power the Polls, have transmitted
148,838 poll worker referrals to county boards of
elections for their consideration and training.
“Ohioans are voting in record numbers, and we expect
that to continue through election day,” said LaRose.
“Because of patriotic Ohioans who are stepping up in
ways never seen before in support of our democracy,
our state will be ready to staff the polls on
November 3rd.”
In an effort to continue providing voters with
unprecedented levels of transparency, Secretary
LaRose is giving Ohioans weekly poll worker updates
as reported by the 88 county boards of elections.
Sharing the data also allows Ohio counties to be
held accountable as the fall election approaches.
This is the first time such information has been
collected from the counties prior to an election.
Notable data are the following:
- Goal for Committed and Trained Poll Workers:
55,525
- Minimum Poll Workers Required: 37,015
- Current Number of Committed Poll Workers:
51,918
- Remaining Number of Poll Workers Needed to
Meet Goal: 17,257
Poll worker recruitment efforts include:
Give a Day for Democracy
Partnering with businesses to offer
employees the day off to be poll workers.
Secretary LaRose announced this initiative with an
event in Cincinnati -- Western & Southern
Financial is allowing employees to work the polls
with a paid day off and so are many other
companies statewide. Click here to watch the
video(opens in a new window).
Professionals Getting Education Credit to Serve
Lawyers for Liberty -- Attorneys will
receive required continuing legal education
credits for being a poll worker this year. Click
here to read more(opens in a new window).
The Accountancy Board of Ohio (ABO) will now allow
Ohio Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) to obtain
required Continuing Public Education (CPE) general
credits for CPAs serving as poll workers in 2020.
Click here to read about our partnership(opens in
a new window).
The Ohio Real Estate Commission announced it will
award three (3) hours of core law continuing
education credit to active and inactive Ohio Real
Estate Licensees who serve as a poll worker during
the Nov. 3, 2020 election.
Styling for Democracy. NOW VOTE!
A partnership with barbershops and
salons, and the schools that feed into them to
recruit more poll workers.
Second Call to Duty
This initiative is asking veterans who
took an oath to defend their country to defend
democracy on November 3rd.
Work the Day, Share Your Pay
Poll workers can donate their earnings
to a nonprofit or charity of their choice.
Youth at the Booth
In Ohio 17-year-old high school seniors
can serve as poll workers! This is a great way to
engage high school students in the voting process.
The Ohio State University Employees
OSU President Johnson announced that all
university employees may receive a paid day off
without using vacation time to be a poll worker
this fall.
Recruitment materials and the form to sign up to
serve as a poll worker can be found at
VoteOhio.gov/DefendDemocracy(opens in a new window).
At PollWorkerTracker.OhioSoS.gov(opens in a new
window), you will find a breakdown of the
following poll worker data:
- The minimum number of poll workers required to
run an election in the respective county, by
total and by Party.
- The goal number of poll worker commitments
counties should target in order to compensate
for any cancellations.
- Remaining number of poll workers needed for
each county to reach their goal.
In accordance with state law, the board of
elections, by a majority vote, appoints four
electors for each precinct who are residents of the
county in which the precinct is located to serve as
poll workers. Not more than one-half of the total
number of poll workers assigned to a precinct may be
members of the same political Party. Ohioans who are
neither a Republican or Democrat may also serve as
poll workers. Those individuals appear in the poll
worker tracker in the “other” category.
###
Ohio Secretary of State
Frank LaRose
October 8, 2020
OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE PARTNERS WITH WALMART
TO DISTRIBUTE PPE TO OHIO’S BOARDS OF ELECTIONS
COLUMBUS – Walmart has partnered with the Ohio
Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office to
distribute necessary PPE to Ohio’s county boards of
elections as they prepare to administer the upcoming
election. 800,000 masks, 27,000 gowns, and 29,000
face shields were donated/purchased by Governor
DeWine to help keep voters and poll workers safe.
Distributions were coordinated from Walmart’s
Washington Courthouse Distribution Center.
“Businesses across Ohio have stepped up to make sure
voters and election officials have the PPE they need
to be ready this election day – and this is no
exception. I appreciate Walmart’s work to help
ensure voting will be safe in Ohio!” said LaRose.
“We build a better community when we all participate
in our federal, state and local elections. Walmart
encourages associates and customers to participate
in the election process by helping to provide the
tools and information they need to vote,” said Adam
Becker, General Manager of the Walmart Distribution
Facility in Washington C.H. “We are honored to help
protect the health and safety of poll workers and
voters throughout the state.”
Secretary LaRose previously issued the Ohio Voting
Safety Plan to Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections,
setting forth safety requirements for early and
Election Day voting, as well as recommendations for
voters, to run a safe and healthy election this
fall. Other companies have donated masks(opens in a
new window) and hand sanitizer(opens in a new
window) this past month, with Ohio Department of
Health distributing the sanitizer to the county
boards.
Click here to read the full Ohio Voting Safety Plan
(PDF)(opens in a new window).
###
Ohio Secretary of State
Frank LaRose
October 5, 2020
LAROSE ISSUES DIRECTIVE ON ADDITIONAL OPTIONS TO
RETURN ABSENTEE BALLOTS
COLUMBUS – Today, Secretary of State Frank LaRose
issued Directive 2020-22(opens in a new window),
making it clear that 1) every Ohio county board of
elections may install more than one secure
receptacle at their board for the return of absentee
ballots, and 2) the board may station bipartisan
election officials outside of county boards to
accept absentee ballots.
As a result of LaRose’s two recent directives, all
88 county boards of elections are now required to
accept absentee ballots 24/7 via secure receptacles
at their office and election officials are able to
collect completed absentee ballots outside of the
county board of elections at convenient
drive-through ballot drop offs. Ohio voters now have
more options to return absentee ballots than ever
before. These options are in addition to the most
convenient and commonly used method for voters to
return absentee ballots - by mail - which continues
to be a safe and standard method for absentee
voting. Additionally, voters may cast a vote early
in-person or in-person on election day.
As has become all too clear in the recent litigation
over secure receptacles (or “drop boxes”), what the
General Assembly meant when it required in R.C.
3509.05 -- that if not mailed, absentee ballots must
be personally delivered “to the director” and in no
other manner -- must be clarified by the
legislature. Secretary LaRose will ask the
legislature to partner with him when the next
General Assembly begins its term in January to
provide the necessary clarity.
On October 2nd, David Becker, a noted and respected
elections expert stated the following:
According to the Center for Election Innovation
& Research website, Becker is the Executive
Director and Founder of the Center for Election
Innovation & Research. Prior to CEIR, he served
as Director of the elections program at The Pew
Charitable Trusts, driving reforms in election
administration, including using technology to
provide voters with information they need to cast a
ballot; assessing election performance through
better data; and upgrading voter registration
systems. Before Pew, he served for seven years as a
senior trial attorney in the Voting Section of the
Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, where
he led numerous investigations into violations of
federal voting laws regarding redistricting,
minority voting rights, voter intimidation, and vote
dilution.
“Tomorrow, absentee ballots will begin being mailed
out to over 2 million Ohioans who requested them and
voting starts at 88 early voting locations across
the state in what will be the most accessible
election in state history,” said LaRose. “Despite
predictable partisan politics that attempt to create
phony crises, we have kept our eye on the ball and
Ohio’s election officials are ready to administer a
safe, secure, and accurate election.“
Just as Ohio is a clear leader in early voting with
216 hours including evenings and weekends, Ohio is
also a national model for absentee voting. Of the 42
states that run a traditional absentee voting
system, a comprehensive review by the Brookings
Institute determined no state does it better than
Ohio.
SOURCE:
www.brookings.edu/research/voting-by-mail-in-a-pandemic-a-state-by-state-scorecard/(opens
in a new window)
More than 2 million Ohioans have requested an
absentee ballot – putting Ohio on pace to more than
double the number of ballots cast by mail in 2016.
Election mail is expected to be efficiently and
effectively transported to county boards of
elections. Ohio law allows boards of elections to
receive ballots up to ten days after the election as
long as they are postmarked by November 2nd. The
United States Postal Service has committed to
implementing the following protocols at the urging
of Secretary LaRose:
- USPS will institute “all clear” processes at
each sorting facility to ensure all election
mail is processed each day.
- Staff will recheck collection bins each day to
ensure late arriving ballots are retrieved.
- USPS will set up hand-to-hand delivery for
election mail as it makes its way through
processing on the Saturday prior to Election
Day, from the board of elections to the
distribution center.
- Postal facilities will track election mail
deliveries to Ohio’s boards of elections
- Election mail will not be routed through the
Detroit Regional Distribution Center. Instead it
will be kept in-state.
###
About
the Ready for November Task Force
The mission of the task force is to provide updates
from the field on the challenges and needs of our
county boards of elections to administer a safe,
secure, and accessible election in the fall, and how
the state can help support their efforts. The task
force will meet several times over the coming months
and will;
- Provide updates on how
counties are preparing for November,
- Hear from a variety of
experts,
- Learn from county
elections administrators and what their needs
and requirements are,
- Consider and disseminate
best practices, and
- Receive information about
the evolving health situation.
Scheduled Meetings of the Ready for November Task
Force
October 2, 2020
September 10, 2020
September 3, 2020
August 20, 2020
August 13, 2020
August 6, 2020
July 23, 2020
July 14, 2020
July 9, 2020
July 2, 2020
June 16, 2020
June 9, 2020
June 2, 2020
Task Force Members
- Frank LaRose, Ohio
Secretary of State
- Michelle Wilcox, President
of the Ohio Association of Election Officials,
Director of the Auglaize County Board of
Elections (D)
- Rob Frost, Immediate Past
President of the Ohio Association of Election
Officials, Board Member of the Cuyahoga County
Board of Elections (R)
- Lisa Welch, First Vice
President of the Ohio Association of Election
Officials, Director of the Holmes County Board
of Elections (R)
- Brian
Sleeth, Second Vice President of the Ohio
Association of Election Officials, Director of
the Warren County Board of Elections (D)
Ohio
Secretary of State Frank LaRose
September
14, 2020
LAROSE ISSUES STATEMENT ON OHIO CONTROLLING
BOARD DECISION NOT TO ALLOW PAID POSTAGE FOR
ABSENTEE BALLOTS
COLUMBUS – Today Ohio Secretary of
State Frank LaRose issued the following statement:
“Ohio has a sound elections system, but today was
another missed opportunity by the legislature to
make a small change, without an impact on our
state budget, that would yield a big improvement.
Ohio voters have 216 hours to vote early in person
from October 6 through November 2, 13 hours to
vote on Election Day, or they can request an
absentee ballot by mail and it will be sent to
them beginning October 6. Make a plan. Don’t
procrastinate. Make sure your voice is heard.”
BACKGROUND:
Postage Paid Was Supported by Bipartisan Election
Officials:
The Ohio Association of Election Officials
supported Secretary LaRose’s plan as presented
today to pay for postage for absentee ballots.
To read the letter of support, click here
(PDF)(opens in a new window).
Ohio’s Elections System is Resilient, Sound, and
Strong:
“…a recent report by the nonpartisan Brookings
Institution graded Ohio seventh nationally on
their vote-by-mail pandemic preparedness, trailing
only the six states who already have full
vote-at-home systems.”
SOURCE:
www.cleveland.com/opinion/2020/08/ohio-and-frank-larose-lead-the-nation-in-voting-by-mail-tyler-fisher-and-marc-hyden.html(opens
in a new window)
www.brookings.edu/research/voting-by-mail-in-a-pandemic-a-state-by-state-scorecard/(opens
in a new window)
With 216 hours of early voting available to
registered Ohioans, Ohio ranks ahead of 43 other
states. We’re one of 20 states with voting on
Saturdays and one of just five that allow voting
on Sunday.
In the Spring, the Ohio Legislature Approved
Funding for Postage on Absentee Ballots
House Bill 197, as passed by the Ohio General
Assembly: “When the board delivers those ballots
by mail, it shall prepay the return postage for
the ballots.”
SOURCE:
www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-documents?id=GA133-HB-197(opens
in a new window)
The Secretary of State Refuses Democrat Call to
Defund County Boards of Elections to Pay for
Postage on Absentee Ballots
Ohio Democrats have stated that Secretary LaRose
could utilize already authorized CARES dollars to
pay for postage on absentee ballots. In response,
please see the following segment of a recent
letter to congressional Democrats:
“As a reminder, at the Controlling Board meeting
on June 15, I sought and received approval to
spend the $12.8 million that Congress sent to Ohio
for elections related expenses through the CARES
Act.
[…]
“…almost all of the CARES dollars, nearly $11
million, were provided to our county boards of
elections. Of the remaining CARES dollars, my
office spent the vast majority – roughly $1.5
million – to send an absentee ballot request to
every eligible voter. The minimal remaining
unencumbered balance is not nearly sufficient to
pay for statewide return postage and is needed to
provide our county boards of elections a safety
net for unforeseen emergency purchases to carry
out safe, secure, and accurate elections this
fall.
Ohio’s county boards of elections desperately need
and are already using the CARES dollars to hire
additional staff, acquire necessary election
infrastructure like mail processing equipment, and
purchase personal protective equipment for their
staff, poll workers, and voters. The suggestion
that I take those resources away from the
county boards of elections and use them to pay for
the return postage on absentee ballots, especially
when the resources exist within my office’s business
services budget to do just that, simply does not
make sense.”
The full letter may be read by clicking here
(PDF)(opens in a new window).
Time is Up
Secretary LaRose first asked the General Assembly to
pay the postage on return ballots for this
November’s Election on May 6, and initially went to
the Controlling Board on August 24. With today’s
decision and because of the logistical deadlines of
the USPS to obtain stamps and allow time for them to
be applied to absentee ballots, this was the latest
realistic opportunity for the legislature to act on
this request. The United States Postal Service as
well as a major contractor of our county boards of
elections have communicated to our office that three
weeks were necessary to ensure ballots sent on
October 6th would have postage applied.
###
Ohio
Secretary of State Frank LaRose
September
1, 2020
LAROSE RELEASES
OHIO'S FIRST-EVER POLL WORKER TRACKER
COLUMBUS – Each election, thousands of Ohioans
dedicate themselves to sustaining the backbone of
democracy—our election process. Poll workers help
ensure that our elections are fair, and in doing so,
maintain the traditions of our past and our hope for
the future.
In an effort to continue providing voters with
unprecedented levels of transparency, Secretary
LaRose is providing Ohioans with weekly poll worker
updates as reported by the 88 county boards of
elections. Sharing the data also allows Ohio
counties to be held accountable as the fall election
approaches. This is the first time such information
has been collected from the counties prior to an
election.
Data from our county boards of elections indicates
that while Ohio counties are very close to meeting
the very minimum required to run the election, many
more poll workers are needed in order to account for
potential cancellations and no-shows.
- Goal for Committed and Trained Poll Workers:
55,588
- Minimum Poll Workers Required: 37,057
- Current Number of Committed Poll Workers:
33,577
- Remaining Number of Poll Workers Needed to
Meet Goal: 26,635
“While our innovative recruitment campaigns appear
to have put Ohio in a far better position than other
states, we still have a long way to go,” said
LaRose. “We still need more patriotic Ohioans to
step up and serve our state as poll workers.”
Over the summer, Secretary LaRose has kickstarted a
number of poll worker recruitment efforts.
Give a Day for Democracy
Partnering with businesses to offer
employees the day off to be poll workers.
Secretary LaRose announced this initiative with an
event in Cincinnati -- Western & Southern
Financial is allowing employees to work the polls
with a paid day off and so are many other
companies statewide. Click here to watch the
video.(opens in a new window):
Professionals Getting Education Credit to Serve
Lawyers for Liberty -- Attorneys will
receive required continuing legal education
credits for being a poll worker this year. Click
here to read more(opens in a new window).
The Accountancy Board of Ohio (ABO) will now allow
Ohio Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) to obtain
required Continuing Public Education (CPE) general
credits for CPAs serving as poll workers in 2020.
Click here to read about our partnership(opens in
a new window).
Second Call to Duty
This initiative is asking veterans who
took an oath to defend their country to defend
democracy on November 3rd.
Work the Day, Share Your Pay
Poll workers can donate their earnings
to a nonprofit or charity of their choice.
Youth at the Booth
In Ohio 17-year-old high school seniors
can serve as poll workers! This is a great way to
engage high school students in the voting process.
Recruitment materials and the form to sign up to
serve as a poll worker can be found at
VoteOhio.gov/DefendDemocracy(opens in a new window).
At PollWorkerTracker.OhioSoS.gov(opens in a new
window), you will find a breakdown of the following
poll worker data:
- The minimum number of poll workers required to
run an election in the respective county, by
total and by Party.
- The goal number of poll worker commitments
counties should target in order to compensate
for any cancellations.
- Remaining number of poll workers needed for
each county to reach their goal.
In accordance with state law, the board of
elections, by a majority vote, appoints four
electors for each precinct who are residents of the
county in which the precinct is located to serve as
poll workers. Not more than one-half of the total
number of poll workers assigned to a precinct may be
members of the same political Party. Ohioans who are
neither a Republican or Democrat may also serve as
poll workers. Those individuals appear in the poll
worker tracker in the “other” category.
###
Ohio
Secretary of State Frank LaRose
September
1, 2020
SECRETARY OF STATE'S ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST
FORMS BEGIN ARRIVING IN MAILBOXES
COLUMBUS – Earlier this summer, Ohio Secretary of
State Frank LaRose announced every registered Ohio
voter would receive an absentee ballot request form
in the mail. Those request forms are arriving in
mailboxes this week – one week ahead of schedule.
Ohioans who want to vote by absentee ballot must
send their request form back to their county board
of elections in order to receive an absentee ballot.
In the absentee ballot request instructions,
Secretary LaRose has recommended voters submit their
request right away, but definitely no later than
October 27th. Absentee ballots will be sent by the
voter’s respective county board of elections
beginning October 6th.
“Whether you’re voting on election day, early
in-person, or taking advantage of the absentee
request form arriving this week in your mailbox,
Ohioans should know voting will be safe and secure
in Ohio,” said LaRose. “With the convenience of
voting from home comes a responsibility – don’t wait
to make your voice heard. Get your ballot request
form in the mail as soon as you can.”
By getting their ballot request forms in early,
voters will ease the burden on both county boards of
elections staff who are expecting a significant
influx of election mail, as well as the postal
workers in their community who are working to make
sure it’s delivered on time.
TELEVISION NEWS: Click here for B-Roll from the
print shop in Hebron, Ohio where the printing was
completed.(opens in a new window)
ALL MEDIA: Click here for an image of the envelope,
voter instructions, and absentee ballot form that
registered voters will receive (PDF)(opens in a new
window).
The first round of the mailing included voters
currently registered in the state of Ohio. There
will be two more rounds of forms still to be mailed
to Ohioans who register to vote through the October
5th registration deadline. The current estimated
cost of the mailing is $1.1 million and is funded by
federal CARES dollars.
Sharing Best Practices for Voters to Consider
When Using the Absentee Ballot Option
- Doublecheck the information on your form.
Review your ballot request and ballot to ensure
you have filled it out properly, including
writing the appropriate date, providing your
required identifying information, and signing
the form.
- Include your e-mail and/or phone number. For
the first time in a general election, county
board of elections will be calling or e-mailing
voters who may need to remedy information on
their ballot request form or absentee ballot
envelope. Including your information will ensure
you can be reached if your ballot request
doesn’t have everything filled out properly.
- Don’t wait. To accommodate necessary
processing time at the county board of elections
and the time required for the United States
Postal Service to deliver elections mail, voters
should not procrastinate – fill out and mail
your absentee ballot request as soon as
possible.
- Track your ballot. Once their ballot request
is received by their county board of elections,
voters may track their ballot at
VoteOhio.gov/Track. As long as your ballot is
postmarked by the day before the election and
received within 10 days after the election at
your county board of elections, your vote will
be tabulated.
Absentee voting in Ohio is time-tested and has
strong security checks in place.
Ohioans have utilized absentee voting for nearly two
decades, and that has allowed Ohio to put in place
both the laws and processes necessary to make
absentee voting secure against fraud.
- Voter identification and signature are checked
TWICE during the process
- Voter list maintenance allows for accurate
voter rolls
- Ballot harvesting is against the law in Ohio
- Voters are able to track their ballot on
VoteOhio.gov/Track(opens in a new window)
These requirements and processes, as well as strict
laws against voter fraud, have made absentee voting
secure in Ohio and instances of voter fraud
exceedingly rare.
Making it easy to request your absentee ballot
Since 2012, Ohio has mailed absentee ballot request
forms to registered voters in every even-year
general election. Only after that application is
verified by the bipartisan teams at a county board
of elections is a ballot mailed to a voter.
Other interesting facts about this mailing
- Last week Secretary LaRose visited with the
Ohioans who were producing this mailing. Click
here to see the video(opens in a new window).
- Our office is using informed delivery through
USPS as another way to get the word out
- The mailing required 17 full-length tractor
trailers to deliver to the USPS
###
Ohio
Secretary of State Frank LaRose
August
31, 2020
SECRETARY
LAROSE LAUNCHES "STYLING FOR DEMOCRACY. NOW
VOTE!"
COLUMBUS – For generations, beauty salons and
barbershops have served as special places in
neighborhoods of color – as much a social hub as
they are an economic engine. They are places not
only to get hair care services, but sanctuaries
where neighbors can discuss politics and the issues
of importance in the community.
Today, Secretary LaRose launched Styling for
Democracy. Now Vote! - a partnership with
barbershops and salons, and the schools that feed
into them. The partnership is designed to encourage
members of their community to sign up to be a poll
worker on November 3rd, register their family and
friends to vote, and educate the community on
requesting and completing absentee ballots.
"Barbershop, beauty salons -- these are the centers
of the communities in neighborhoods all throughout
Ohio,” said LaRose. “If people are going to gather
at a barbershop and have a political conversation,
the next step is getting registered to vote; and if
you really want to take it to the next level, sign
up to be a poll worker so that your neighbors can
have a free and fair election.”
So far, Secretary LaRose’s team has partnered with
25 barber colleges and salon schools. Resources will
be sent to the 110 barber and salon schools across
the state. Barbershops and salons looking to partner
with Secretary LaRose may contact Zack Reed at
ZReed@OhioSoS.gov.
Click here to watch the kick-off event.
Ohio Secretary
of State Frank LaRose
August
21, 2020
LAROSE WORKING TO GET 110,448 ELIGIBLE BUT
UNREGISTERED OHIOANS READY TO VOTE THIS NOVEMBER
COLUMBUS – Once again, in an
effort to ensure every eligible voter gets
registered and can make their voice heard, Ohio
Secretary of State Frank LaRose is sending
information about how to get registered to
110,448 Ohioans who are eligible to vote but
aren’t yet registered.
This initiative is in coordination with the
Electronic Registration Information Center
(ERIC), a non-profit organization who assists
participating states in the effort to improve
the accuracy of their voter rolls and increase
access to voter registration. 30 states and
Washington, D.C. are members of ERIC.
As a part of this partnership, ERIC and their
participating states work to identify eligible
citizens who were found on the motor vehicle
database, but who are not registered to vote and
have never received a similar mailing
previously, to receive a postcard that informs
them how to get themselves registered.
“We’re working hard to give every Ohioan an
opportunity to cast a ballot this fall and
beyond,” said LaRose. “We’ll leave no stone
unturned in our goal to maximize voter
participation because we know that Ohio is
stronger when every voice can be heard at the
ballot box.”
Based on the data provided by the BMV, 85,054
Ohioans who are 21 or under will receive the
voter registration outreach postcard. This
effort ensures those young Ohioans have every
opportunity to register to vote prior to the
November election.
The deadline to register to vote in the November
general election is October 5th. Ohioans can
register or update their registration by
visiting
VoteOhio.gov(opens
in a new window).
Ohio Secretary
of State Frank LaRose
August
18, 2020
LAROSE PROPOSES INNOVATIVE SOLUTION TO PAY
POSTAGE FOR ABSENTEE BALLOTS
COLUMBUS –
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is
requesting the authority from the Ohio
Controlling Board to use funds from the Business
Services Division fund within the Secretary’s
office to pay for postage on all absentee
ballots.
In May, following the Ohio primary, Secretary of
State Frank LaRose made a number of
recommendations to the Ohio General Assembly
that required legislative action to ensure a
successful General Election. Among those was the
utilization of state GRF funding to pay for the
postage on absentee ballots. While no action was
taken on that proposal, Secretary LaRose has
subsequently stated his support for utilizing
any potential forthcoming additional federal
funding to pay for postage, pending
authorization from the Ohio Controlling Board.
While Washington continues to debate providing
that additional funding to states, Secretary
LaRose is moving forward with this proposal to
ensure postage is paid for all Ohioans choosing
to vote by absentee.
“If the controlling board approves our request,
they will effectively be making every mailbox a
drop box for millions of Ohioans, making it
easier than ever to cast a ballot in a general
election,” said LaRose. “No state GRF or federal
funds will be used to pay for it; instead, we’re
ready to take it out of my office’s own budget
to get it done.”
The request being made to the Ohio Controlling
Board asks for up to $3 million in funds from
the Secretary of State’s Fund 5990, the fund
where revenue from the Business Services
Division within the Secretary’s office is
located. In 2016, 1.2 million Ohioans cast their
absentee ballot by mail. Secretary LaRose has
told Ohio’s county boards of elections to
prepare for that number to double. While costs
of the delivery of absentee mail vary by county,
total costs of postage are not expected to
exceed $2 million.
The Ohio Controlling Board provides legislative
oversight over certain capital and operating
expenditures by state agencies. It consists of
seven members: the Director of the Office of
Budget and Management or an employee of the
Office of Budget and Management designated by
the Director, the Chairs of the Senate and House
Finance Committees, a majority member appointed
from both the Senate and the House, and a
minority member appointed from both the Senate
and the House.
Ohio
Secretary of State Frank LaRose
August
18, 2020
RB SIGMA, LCC
DONATING 463,500 SURGICAL MASKS TO OHIO'S
COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS
COLUMBUS – Today, RB Sigma LLC announced a
partnership with the Ohio Secretary of State to
donate 463,500 surgical masks to help keep voters
and poll workers safe. In accordance with Governor
DeWine’s statewide mask mandate, all Ohioans are
required to wear a mask at polling locations. In
support of that requirement and to ease the burden
on election officials preparing for the November
election, this donation from RB Sigma, LLC will be
a massive help to Ohio’s county boards of
elections.
The masks will be delivered to every county board
of elections between August 28 and September 2.
All masks are produced at RB Sigma, LLC facility
in Mentor.
"We are good at manufacturing things here in this
state. We make things that supply the world. That
resiliency is what sets Ohio apart from everyone
else," said Secretary LaRose. "No Ohioan should be
afraid to come vote and the skilled Ohioans at RB
Sigma are reassuring every Ohio voter by supplying
these masks for voters and poll workers to use for
our month of early voting and on election day.”
[photos]
Left to right: John Eklund, State Senator (R-Munson
Township), Dave Joyce, U.S. Congressman (OH-14),
Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State, Justin Bloyd,
President of RB Sigma, LLC, and Dale Fellows,
Chairman of the Lake County Board of Elections.
“I was honored to join Secretary of State Frank
LaRose, State Senator John Eklund and Lake County
Election Board Chairman Dale Fellows for this
important announcement and applaud RB Sigma for
stepping up to help keep our communities healthy
during this pandemic,” said Congressman Dave Joyce
(OH-14). “This critical partnership will help ensure
our election officials have what they need to safely
assist Ohioans in exercising their right to vote
during these unprecedented times. Over the last
several months, local manufacturers like RB Sigma
have worked around the clock to produce and deliver
essential PPE supplies across Ohio, helping us build
up our domestic manufacturing base and reduce our
dangerous reliance on China. Just like our medical
professionals, these manufacturers are unsung heroes
on the front lines of this crisis and I will
continue to do everything I can at the federal level
to ensure they continue to have the resources
necessary to keep up their life-saving efforts.”
“RB Sigma is a company that has truly pivoted to
manufacturing critical N95 and Surgical masks during
the Pandemic. I feel that is my company's role to
provide as many masks as possible to those that need
them," said Justin Bloyd, President of RB Sigma,
LLC. "We are honored to partner with the Secretary
of State’s office to distribute 462,000 Surgical
masks so that poll workers may remain safe as they
volunteer their time during the November election.”
In collaboration with the Centers for Disease
Control and the Ohio Department of Health, Secretary
of State LaRose recently issued the Ohio Voting
Safety Plan to our state’s 88 county boards of
elections. The 48-point plan sets forth requirements
for boards of elections, as well as recommendations
for voters, for how to run a safe and healthy
election this fall.
While many state legislatures and policy makers are
grappling with finding ways to provide the multiple
voting options recommended by the CDC, Ohio finds
itself in the fortunate position of needing only
small changes to improve the already safe, secure,
and accessible elections system that we have in
place. Ohio has long offered three different ways to
vote: by mail; early in-person during the four weeks
preceding Election Day, including evenings and
weekends; and in-person on Election Day.
Click here to read the full Ohio Voting Safety
Plan.(opens in a new window)
Click here to watch the event.(opens in a new
window)
Ohio Secretary of
State Frank LaRose
August 12, 2020
LAROSE SENDS 48-POINT GUIDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNTY BOARDS
COLUMBUS – In collaboration with the Centers for
Disease Control and the Ohio Department of Health,
Secretary of State LaRose issued the Ohio Voting
Safety Plan to our state’s 88 county boards of
elections. The 48-point plan sets forth requirements
for boards of elections, as well as recommendations
for voters, for how to run a safe and healthy
election this fall.
While many state legislatures and policy makers are
grappling with finding ways to provide the multiple
voting options recommended by the CDC, Ohio finds
itself in the fortunate position of needing only
small changes to improve the already safe, secure,
and accessible elections system that we have in
place. Ohio has long offered three different ways to
vote: by mail; early in-person during the four weeks
preceding Election Day, including evenings and
weekends; and in-person on Election Day.
Additionally, boards of elections provide curbside
voting and have a secure drop box at every board of
elections for voters who do not want to enter the
board office or a polling location. Further, the
Secretary of State’s Office required boards of
elections to move polling locations out of
facilities that serve vulnerable populations.
Therefore, Ohio already meets the CDC’s lower risk
election polling location recommendations.
The Ohio Voting Safety Plan sets in place guidance
that will enhance the ability of county boards of
elections to keep their voters and election
officials safe. The plan sets in place 48 points
that include the following:
- Routine cleaning of voting machines and
e-pollbooks
- Mask requirements and regular hand washing for
all poll workers
- Social distancing recommendations
- Making curbside voting available
All voters will be encouraged to wear a mask, just
as the vast majority of Ohioans do at the grocery
store or a restaurant. It’s important to note that
while the Secretary of State may put requirements in
place for election officials, no one can or should
be able to prevent electors from casting their
ballot, even if the elector chooses not to follow
the recommendations in place to protect poll workers
and other voters. In addition to opportunities to
vote early by mail and early in-person, voters
choosing to cast their ballot on election day will
have the option to vote curbside if they are
physically unable to enter a polling location.
You can read the full
Ohio Voting Safety Plan by clicking here.
###
Ohio Secretary of
State Frank LaRose
August 7, 2020
LAROSE ISSUES REGISTRATION READINESS DIRECTIVE
COLUMBUS – In accordance with his duty as Ohio
Secretary of State and following both federal and
state law, Secretary LaRose has issued a directive
to implement voter list maintenance. The US Supreme
Court upheld the law as carried out by Secretaries
Brown, Blackwell, Taft, Brunner, and Husted, but no
previous Ohio Secretary of State has ever undertaken
the level of outreach that Secretary LaRose is doing
in 2020.
Under this process, no registration will
be cancelled prior to the November 3, 2020
General Election. Any individual who appears
on the Registration Readiness list and votes in
the fall election or engages in any voter activity
will not have their registration cancelled.
In 2016, the previous administration issued
Directives 2016-17 and 2016-20 directing boards to
send confirmation notices to those registrations
that have been inactive for previous two years or
appear on the National Change of Address (NCOA)
List, ordering local boards of elections to mail
notices to electors who have been inactive for two
years in order to confirm their status as a
registered voter. The 2016 confirmation notices sent
pursuant to the Supplemental and NCOA processes
began the forward-looking four-year clock for the
registration to engage in voter activity.
“It is my duty to follow the law and this process is
required to happen this year, but what we did is
find a creative way to make it is as accurate as
possible and encourage people to become active
voters again,” said LaRose. “All you need to do is
vote this November. Whether it’s casting your
absentee ballot, voting early at your county board
of elections, or in-person on election day – we want
you to make your voice heard.”
Secretary LaRose’s directive requires local boards
of elections to contact identified registrants and
then remove those registrations who do not do at
least one of the following:
- Respond to the 2016 confirmation notices from
the county board of elections;
- Vote in the November 3, 2020 election;
- Request an absentee ballot application;
- Update or confirm their address;
- Update their registration;
- Do not respond to the forthcoming mailing
advising them of their pending cancellation
WHY WON’T ANY REGISTRATION THAT IS PART OF THIS
PROCESS BE CANCELLED BEFORE THE NOVEMBER ELECTION?
Consistent with the law, Secretary LaRose is
prohibiting the boards of elections from removing
any registration prior to the November 3, 2020
General Election.
HOW IS REGISTRATION READINESS DIFFERENT FROM
PREVIOUS YEARS?
First, registrants will have more time than ever
before to update their registration, confirm their
registration, vote, or take any other action that
will shift their registration status to active.
Second, prior to issuing Directive 2020-14,
Secretary LaRose’s office worked with boards and
their vendors to vet a preliminary list of
registrations identified as potential candidates for
placement on the Registration Readiness list. In
doing so, 1,342 registrations have already been
placed on a “do not cancel list” because of
inconsistencies found in the registrations due to
human error or computer system error.
HOW MANY REGISTRATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ON
THE LIST?
The preliminary list of registrations provided by
the counties included approximately 119,000
registrations. However, it is expected that the size
of this list when registrations are officially
submitted by counties will be fewer due to voter
activity or other actions that shift a registration
off the rolls such as moving out of state or death.
WILL THE REGISTRATION READINESS LIST BE
SHARED WITH OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS?
Continuing his commitment to unprecedented
transparency, Secretary LaRose will collect the
registrations provided by the counties and upload
them onto our website for anyone to review or
download. Additionally, we look to continue our
collaboration with outside organizations in an
effort to 1) reach out to registrants and update
their registration, and 2) utilize organizational
expertise to collectively vet the list for accuracy.
ARE ERRORS EXPECTED TO BE FOUND?
There are 7.8 million voter registrations in Ohio
that are overseen by 88 different county boards of
elections which utilize five different private
vendors, each with different computer systems, to
help manage their systems. Errors are going to
happen. That’s exactly why Secretary LaRose has
adopted a policy of transparency to ensure that this
lawfully required duty is completed as accurately as
possible.
WHAT ARE SOME IMPORTANT DATES TO KNOW?
August 21, 2020 – County Boards of Elections must
upload a spreadsheet containing the county number,
county name, state voter ID, reason for
active-confirmation status, registration date, last
voted date, first name, last name, address, and
voter status of each registration that meets the
required criteria. This data will be reviewed and
uploaded to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website as
soon as possible following this deadline.
September 4, 2020 – County Boards of Elections must
mail their Registration Readiness Notice to
identified registrants by this date. This notice
will inform the registrant that they may be
cancelled after the November General Election unless
they take action.
November 3, 2020 – If any previously identified
registrant votes in the 2020 General Election, that
registrant will not be cancelled. These registrants
could also avoid cancellation by updating or
confirming their address, updating their
registration, or responding to the Registration
Readiness Notice.
December 7, 2020 – In order to provide enough time
to thoroughly review voting records after the
completion of the General Election and pursuant to
election law, no cancellations will take place
before December 7, 2020.
ISN’T THERE A BETTER WAY TO MANAGE VOTER
REGISTRATION IN OHIO?
Ohio is one of just six states which continue to
operate a bottom-up voter registration system, where
all voter registration data is collected and
processed at the local level. Secretary LaRose has
called for Ohio to consider a top-down voter
registration system to streamline the process and
allow for less error to occur.
WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE WHO IS CANCELLED AFTER
THIS YEAR’S ELECTION WANTS TO VOTE NEXT YEAR?
Any qualified Ohioan may register to vote.
WHAT DOES THE LAW STATE ABOUT THE VOTER LIST
MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENT?
The voter list maintenance process is required by
both state and federal law. As part of the
supplemental process, registrants who have been
inactive for six years, or at least 12 elections,
and failed to respond to a confirmation notice, must
be removed from the voter rolls. Additionally, the
NCOA process is also required by state and federal
law. The upcoming voter list maintenance process is
required because the previous administration issued
confirmation notices for both in July and August
2016.
The law states the following:
codes.ohio.gov/orc/3503.21(opens in a new window)
(A) The registration of a registered elector shall
be canceled upon the occurrence of any of the
following:
(6) The change of residence of the registered
elector to a location outside the county of
registration in accordance with division (B) of this
section;
(7) The failure of the registered elector, after
having been mailed a confirmation notice, to do
either of the following:
(a) Respond to such a notice and vote at least once
during a period of four consecutive years, which
period shall include two general federal elections;
(b) Update the elector's registration and vote at
least once during a period of four consecutive
years, which period shall include two general
federal elections.
(B) (1) The secretary of state shall prescribe
procedures to identify and cancel the registration
in a prior county of residence of any registrant who
changes the registrant’s voting residence to a
location outside the registrant’s current county of
registration. Any procedures prescribed in this
division shall be uniform and nondiscriminatory, and
shall comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The
secretary of state may prescribe procedures under
this division that include the use of the national
change of address service provided by the United
States postal system through its licensees. Any
program so prescribed shall be completed not later
than ninety days prior to the date of any primary or
general election for federal office.
The United States Supreme Court has upheld this
process as lawful(opens in a new window).
ARE THERE ANY SAFEGUARDS FOR ABANDONED
REGISTRATIONS?
Per a settlement with the A. Philip Randolph
Institute (APRI), an exception will continue that
allows any person whose registration was previously
cancelled pursuant to the Supplemental Process and
who continues to reside in the same county in which
their registration was cancelled to cast a
provisional ballot. If that provisional ballot
complies with all the requirements to cast and count
a provisional ballot, then any such vote will be
counted and result in the person’s registration
being restored. More information can be found by
clicking here(opens in a new window).
Andre Washington, President of APRI, also stated the
following about Secretary LaRose at a meeting of the
Ohio NAACP on September 13th, 2019:
“When you came into office, you said ‘I’m going to
sit down and we’re going to work this out’. We
didn’t get everything we wanted. They didn’t get
everything they wanted, but guess what, all Ohioans
won. And that was the main thing. It wasn’t about
the Secretary of State’s office. It wasn’t about the
A. Philip Randolph Institute. It was all about Ohio,
and I am so glad we have a Secretary of State that
said it’s about Ohioans. I’m so glad that we have a
Secretary of State that said ‘I’m going to work with
each and every one of these organizations because
it’s not about me, it’s not about my Party, it’s
about Ohio’, and I thank you, I thank you.”
Video of this statement by clicking here(opens in a
new window).
Click here to view Directive 2020-14(opens in a new
window)
###
Ohio Secretary of
State Frank LaRose
July 15, 2020
LAROSE LAUNCHES RAISE A GLASS TO DEMOCRACY
STATEWIDE VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN
COLUMBUS – Today, Ohio Secretary of State Frank
LaRose announced a new statewide voter registration
campaign called Raise a Glass to Democracy. More
than thirty breweries statewide are partnering with
the Secretary of State to boost civic engagement.
“It is widely thought that many of the ideas for the
American Revolution began in pubs with people
getting together and talking about how they didn’t
want to be under the oppression of the monarch
anymore. The idea of democracy going together with
beer drinking is very compatible,” said LaRose. “You
can have your opinion, state you opinion, you can
share it on social media, or you can go to public
demonstrations, but unless you register and vote you
are missing an important part of the civic process.”
Registering to vote is easy in Ohio. In 2015 as an
Ohio State Senator, Ohio Secretary of State Frank
LaRose introduced legislation that would allow
eligible Ohioans to register to vote online. That
bill became law in 2016 and so far this year
hundreds of thousands of Ohioans have gone online to
register to vote or update their registration.To
register online at VoteOhio.gov, Ohioans will need
to provide their Ohio driver’s license or Ohio
identification card number, name, date of birth,
address, and the last four digits of their Social
Security number. By law, Ohioans must register or
update their voter registration no later than 30
days prior to an election. The registration deadline
for the November 3rd General Election is October 5,
2020.
Younger voters are less likely to be registered or
participate in an election. Just as in 2016, it is
expected that older adults are more likely to turn
out to vote this fall. Ohio is stronger when all of
our voices are heard from every generation. To help
bridge this gap, we have asked businesses that have
a unique capability to reach younger Ohioans to
partner with the Secretary of State’s office to
increase the number of registered Ohio voters.
According to the Harris Poll/Nielsen, more than half
of 21- to 44-year-olds have said they drink craft
beer.
Craft Breweries are stepping up to make a
difference. The Raise a Glass to Democracy voter
registration campaign began as a brainstorm between
the Secretary of State’s office and Rhinegeist
Brewery. With their creative support, more than 30
Ohio breweries have signed up to create a beer using
a universal label designed to encourage civic
engagement and boost voter registration. Most
breweries are expected to have their beers ready for
sale at their respective locations by early
September, well ahead of the October 5th
registration deadline. The label promotes the
VoteOhio.gov website while also allowing each brewer
to include their own branding.
OUTCOME: Partnering with craft breweries, an
important representation of Ohio small business,
will not only expand outreach on our message of
voter registration and updating current registration
information, but will also help brewery owners and
employees weather the current COVID storm that many
small businesses are facing.
Click here to watch our kick off event!(opens in a
new window)
Statewide Brewery Partners
We currently have more than thirty breweries
partnering with Secretary LaRose statewide to boost
civic engagement.
###
Ohio Secretary of
State Frank LaRose
July 14, 2020
LAROSE SETTING NEW
STANDARD FOR ELECTION SECURITY
COLUMBUS - Today, Ohio Secretary of State Frank
LaRose issued Directive 2020-12 to the state’s 88
county boards of elections. The 2020 Election
Security & Accessibility Directive details how
counties must utilize federal dollars to strengthen
their election security and accessibility for
disabled voters in preparation for the upcoming
general election. Ohio’s share of federal HAVA funds
designated for the 2020 election is $13,657,222.
This builds on last week’s directive where the
Secretary allocated $11.2 million in federal funding
directly to the county boards for pandemic
preparedness. These two actions combined result in
$24.8 million being pushed out directly to the front
lines, Ohio’s bipartisan boards of elections, so
that they can be ready for November.
“Our efforts last year already made Ohio a national
leader in election security, but we need to keep our
foot on the gas,” said LaRose. “This order empowers
our county boards of elections with technological
enhancements that will set a new standard for
election security.”
Included in the 2020 Election Security &
Accessibility Directive are the following:
Adding AI to Strengthen Cybersecurity. New
software called Endpoint Detection and Response is
going to be installed in all 88 county boards of
elections at no cost to them. The Artificial
Intelligence software looks at known bad behavior
and characteristics of malicious actors versus
looking only for bad files like traditional
anti-virus software. It allows first responders to
contain an infected machine remotely instead of
having to be onsite. Lastly, it gives responders the
ability to analyze the system remotely and assess it
for other potential nefarious activity. This new
software can either complement or substitute current
software used by a county board of elections.
Cybersecurity Experts on Call. Secretary
LaRose recognizes not all county boards of elections
have the resources to employ individuals with the
expertise necessary to implement some of the
advancements required of a security county board.
With that in mind, Secretary LaRose will be
providing counties with an assigned Cybersecurity
expert that will assist boards and local IT support
with tools, software or hardware integration,
software and patch management support, network
analysis review, incident response planning and
exercising; tier one incident management forensic
collection support, and general engineering
technical assistance. Those counties who do have
full time cybersecurity personnel will also find
this additional help beneficial as they seek to
augment ongoing efforts at the local level to
provide even more robust protection.
Network Intrusion Detection. Last year, the
Secretary required county boards of elections to
install Albert Intrusion Detection Monitoring
hardware, designed to detect any suspicious
cyber-activity. The Secretary of State’s office is
now extending funding for monitoring of these
devices through 2022.
New Efforts to Block Malicious Websites. The
Secretary of State’s Office is providing county
boards of elections with a malicious domain blocking
service. This service will block access to malicious
websites, help stop malware from connecting to known
command-and-control infrastructure, and compliment
the intrusion detection services currently provided.
Each board of elections must begin using this
malicious domain blocking service by August 28,
2020.
Continued Information Sharing with Federal,
State, and Local Partners. One reason Ohio
has become a national leader in election security is
our comprehensive partnership with the Election
Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis
Center (EI-ISAC). Active and continued participation
provides county boards of elections with timely and
actionable information regarding threats to the
county’s election information systems. County boards
are required to continue their active membership to
EI-ISAC.
Keeping Background Checks Updated. All
permanent board of elections employees, vendors, or
contractors who perform sensitive services for the
board of elections are required to have an Ohio
Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation
(“BCI”) statewide criminal background check
conducted, at a minimum, every ten years.
Emergency Preparedness. Challenges, whether
natural or human-caused, will inevitably occur on
Election Day or during the early voting period.
Contingency plans are required as part of the county
Election Administration Plans to ensure boards are
prepared for any incident that could occur on
Election Day or during the early voting period. By
August 28, 2020, each board of elections must
collaborate with t its County Emergency Management
Agency and Sheriff’s Office to review emergency
contingency plans. These contingency plans should
appropriately address natural and human-caused
disasters that could occur at the board of
elections, early voting center, or any polling
location in the county.
Accessible Drop Boxes. Ballot drop boxes
must be accessible to people with disabilities to
approach, maneuver, and reach any operable parts to
drop off any election-related documents
independently.
Making County Boards of Elections Websites
Accessible to People with Disabilities. Each
county boards of elections must have their sample
ballots, voter look-up, and contact forms evaluated
by a web accessibility evaluation tool to ensure
they conform to tools used by people with
disabilities to view a website.
Click here to read the entire
2020 Election
Security & Accessibility Directive.
###
Ohio
Secretary of State Frank LaRose
July 6, 2020
LAROSE SENDS
READY FOR NOVEMBER PLAN TO 88 COUNTY BOARDS OF
ELECTIONS
COLUMBUS – Today, Ohio Secretary of State Frank
LaRose issued Directive 2020-11 to the state’s 88
county boards of elections. The Ready for November
Directive details how counties must utilize federal
dollars to improve their election infrastructure,
hire temporary personnel, enhance their supply of
personal protective equipment (PPE), and recruit
poll workers. Ohio’s share of federal CARES Act
funds designated for the 2020 election is
$12,861,311. Notably, 87% of Ohio’s federal dollars
will be sent directly to the county boards of
elections in support of their efforts to run a safe,
secure, and accurate election.
“Over the past several months, we’ve been working
with bipartisan election officials across Ohio as
well as election experts & advocates to make our
state ready for November,” said LaRose. “While we
certainly have many challenges ahead of us, this
plan puts us on a path to ensure Ohio voters will be
confident that their voice was heard on November
3rd.”
Specifically, the Ready for November Directive
provides required guidance on the following:
Recruiting More Poll Workers. For county
boards of elections to be able to open the
appropriate number of polling locations on Election
Day, they must first recruit and train enough poll
workers to satisfy the minimum required by state law
to operate a precinct. Traditionally, Ohio utilizes
over 35,000 poll workers on Election Day. Because of
the current pandemic, fewer poll workers are
expected to sign up or show up on Election Day. In
light of this anticipated shortage, unprecedented
efforts must be made to recruit new poll workers and
backups. Additionally, Boards must prepare and plan
for the possibility of poll worker shortages and the
contingencies necessary should that situation arise.
By August 1, 2020, county boards of elections must
send a survey to every poll worker who served
previously within the last three years or who
indicated to the board their interest in serving in
the 2020 primary election. This is a significant
advance of the traditional timeline utilized by
county boards of elections to begin poll worker
recruitment preparations.
More Election Infrastructure. To better
manage the expected increase in absentee voting,
counties are required to utilize the funds to obtain
the equipment necessary to manage the mailing,
processing and tabulation of absentee ballots. This
is in addition to the $117 million provided by the
state of Ohio and spent by county boards of
elections in the previous two years to modernize
election equipment.
PPE to Keep Poll Workers and Voters Safe. The
Center for Disease Control (CDC) has provided
detailed guidance designed to keep voting locations
safe. County boards of elections will receive funds
that they will use to procure the supplies necessary
to meet those recommendations.
Increasing County Board of Elections Staff. With
record-turnout and a higher reliance upon absentee
voting expected, county boards are required to
utilize the new federal dollars to boost temporary
staffing ahead of the November election.
Faster Fixes for Absentee Voters. Sometimes
voters utilizing absentee voting may neglect to
provide all the required information, signature, or
other requirements. While previously these voters
would only be notified by mail, county boards are
now directed to utilize any e-mail or phone contacts
available, in addition to also sending a written
notice, to inform voters of the shortfall and
provide them information on how to quickly rectify
the situation.
Additional Ballot Printing. Increasing the
minimum number of printed ballots, including
absentee and provisional ballots, ensures there are
enough ballots so shortages cannot happen.
Paper Backups to Electronic Equipment.
Electronic pollbooks are in wide use across Ohio. In
order to make available an additional level of
security and redundancy, boards are required to use
federal dollars to ensure that every voting location
has paper backups of the voter information contained
in electronic pollbooks.
Relocating Polling Locations Used by Vulnerable
Populations. If a board of elections has not
done so already, county boards of elections must
relocate any polling location currently at a
residential senior citizen facility or health care
facility. Relocation must occur even if voting takes
place in a separate building on the same property,
such as a community center or activity room.
Utilization of Schools as Polling Locations.
Because of the aforementioned relocation of
certain polling locations, new ones must be
obtained. As required by state law, Ohio schools
should provide their facilities to serve as voting
locations. County Boards of Elections must contact
schools in their communities to confirm their
availability and request additional locations, and
schools should consider the best practice of closing
to instruction on Election Day.
Assisting Voters in Senior Living and Health
Care Facilities. Voters in these facilities
may not have the same voting option accessibility to
the voting options to which they have become
accustomed. County boards of elections must put a
plan in place to send elections staff to these
facilities to safely help individuals cast their
vote, or deputize facility personnel as Special
Elections Officials to ensure these voters have
their voice heard.
Additional Assistance for Voters Physically
Unable to Enter a Polling Location. County
boards of elections must offer curbside voting for
voters physically unable to enter polling locations.
Click here to read the entire
Ready for November
Directive.
###
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose
June 15, 2020
OHIO CONTROLLING BOARD APPROVES LAROSE PLAN TO
SEND EVERY REGISTERED VOTER AN ABSENTEE BALLOT
REQUEST FORM
COLUMBUS - Today the Ohio Controlling Board
authorized the use of federal dollars to allow the
Ohio Secretary of State’s Office to send absentee
ballot request forms to all 7.8 million registered
voters in Ohio.
“For nearly a decade, Ohioans have received an
absentee ballot request ahead of the Presidential
and Gubernatorial General Election, and today’s
controlling board action ensures that will be the
case again this year,” said LaRose. “Sending
the request – not the ballot – helps voters
participate in the election and means each
registered voter in Ohio can continue to choose one
of three options available to them – early voting,
absentee voting by mail, or voting in person on
Election Day.”
The mailing of the request forms will begin around
Labor Day and is estimated to cost around $1.5
million. This cost will be covered entirely through
federal funds, not state dollars. Ohioans must
register to vote by October 5th, 2020 in order to
participate in the November election, and each of
these newly registered voters will receive a request
form in the mail. Voters are encouraged to confirm
or update their voter registration information at
VoteOhio.gov(opens in a new window) where they can
also print their own absentee ballot request form
and submit it right now.
Additionally, as the Secretary of State’s office
continues to help county boards with an aggressive
poll worker recruitment effort, this mailing will
include an option for Ohioans to sign up for the
important civic duty of working as an election day
poll worker. Ohioans who want to answer this
important call-to-duty can also sign up at
VoteOhio.gov/DefendDemocracy(opens in a new window)
to join the tens of thousands of others around the
state who perform this crucial function.
BACKGROUND:
Ohio Revised Code Section 3501.05 EE(opens in a new
window) states that the Secretary of State may mail
absentee ballot applications during a general
election if the General Assembly approves it.
Absentee ballot request forms have been sent in
every even-year Ohio general election since 2012.
###
Ohio Secretary of
State Frank LaRose
June 5, 2020
VIDEO STATEMENT FROM SECRETARY OF STATE
FRANK LAROSE ON OHIO HOUSE PASSAGE OF HB 680
A Positive Step Towards Making Ohio
Ready for November
COLUMBUS – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose
released the following statement today upon
passage of HB 680 by the Ohio House of
Representatives. HB 680 was introduced by State
Representative Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison). In
partnership with the Ohio Association of
Election Officials, LaRose has been working with
members of the legislature to ensure Ohio is
Ready for November.
Watch Secretary LaRose's statement on the
passage of HB 680 by clicking below.
LaRose: So just got word from the Ohio
House of Representatives that they just passed
House Bill 680. This is a piece of legislation
that makes some changes, really minor changes,
to the way that we run elections in Ohio so that
we can be ready for November, so that we can be
ready to offer Ohioans that same normal
experience that they've always had even in these
times which are far from normal.
We want to make sure that Ohioans have the
opportunity to vote in person on Election Day or
if they choose to use Ohio's month of absentee
voting or month of early voting, those same
choices have served Ohioans well for nearly two
decades and we want to make sure that they have
those choices this November, and, and with some
of these changes that have been made in this
bill, our elections officials all around the
state will be ready to do just that.
Now, this bill didn't start off as something
that I could support. In fact when it was
introduced just over two weeks ago I had some
really big concerns about it, but in many ways
the legislative process played out as it should.
And so I really want to say a heartfelt thanks
to Speaker Larry Householder, as well as to
Representative Cindy Abrams, who was the sponsor
of this bill. We had the chance to sit down with
House leadership and House policy staff, and,
and on Monday I actually drove down to
Cincinnati; we went to Price Hill Chili with
Representative Abrams, and with two members of
the Hamilton County Board of Elections, we sat
down over a bowl of chili, and we were able to
discuss some changes that needed to be made.
Now, this bill didn't do everything that I
wanted to do. In fact there are several things
that I wanted to get done that are not included
in this bill. But having spent eight years in
the state legislature I know that when a process
plays out and when you get a lot of what you're
looking for, that's, that's a victory, and
that's something that we're happy about and I'll
keep working to try to get some of those other
changes made in the future that I really think
we need to do to modernize Ohio's elections. But
for now. thanks to the members of the House of
Representatives that got this done, it's heading
over to the Senate, and I look forward to
working with them now and engaging with them in
the process because Ohioans deserve a normal
election this November so that everyone can make
their voice heard.
BACKGROUND ON HB 680:
- Uses federal dollars to send each
Ohio voter an absentee ballot request form
- Expands the absentee request
deadline to allow more time for mail
delivery
- Keeps election workers and voters
healthy by allocating federal funding to pay
for safety equipment
- Directs federal funding to
recruit and train new poll workers
- Empowers county boards of
elections to boost their election
infrastructure to better prepare for the
November election
Ohio Secretary of
State Frank LaRose
June 1, 2020
LAROSE ANNOUNCES BI-PARTISAN READY FOR
NOVEMBER TASK FORCE
Today Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced
the formation of the Ready for November Task
Force. The mission of the task force is to
provide updates from the field on the challenges
and needs of our county boards of elections to
administer a safe, secure, and accessible
election in the fall, and how the state can help
support their efforts. The task force will meet
several times over the coming months and will;
1) provide updates on how counties are preparing
for November, 2) hear from a variety of experts,
3) learn from county elections administrators
and what their needs and requirements are, 4)
consider and disseminate best practices, and 5)
receive information about the evolving health
situation.
The members of the Task Force are the following:
Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State
Michelle Wilcox, President of the Ohio
Association of Election Officials, Director of
the Auglaize County Board of Elections (D)
Rob Frost, Immediate Past President of the Ohio
Association of Election Officials, Board Member
of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections (R)
Lisa Welch, First Vice President of the Ohio
Association of Election Officials, Director of
the Holmes County Board of Elections (R)
Brian Sleeth, Second Vice President of the Ohio
Association of Election Officials, Director of
the Warren County Board of Elections (D)
WHAT: Meeting of the Ready for November Task
Force
WHEN: Tuesday, June 2, 2020, 11:00 a.m.
WHO: Members of the Ready for November Task
Force
WHERE: Click here to watch:
ohiochannel.org/live/secretary-of-state-frank-larose
###
Ohio Democratic
Party
May 28, 2020
Ohio House GOP Looks At Chaotic, Confusing
Primary Election And Proposes Doing It Again
In November
Democratic Lawmakers Working to Make
Voting Safe, Convenient, Even In Global
Pandemic
COLUMBUS — Ohio’s primary election resulted
in “
low
voter turnout and confusion,” and now Ohio
House Republicans are using that — and
Wisconsin’s
primary,
which
led
to large increases in coronavirus cases —
as
a blueprint for November and proposing
legislation to make it harder to vote by mail
and vote in person.
“It’s unimaginable that public officials could
look at what happened here during the primary
and what happened in Wisconsin — with massive
disenfranchisement and large numbers of poll
workers and voters contracting COVID-19 — and
think, let’s do that all over again this fall,
as we experience a second or third wave of
infections,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman
David Pepper. “We need to be really clear about
what the Ohio House GOP is proposing — they are
simultaneously making it harder for Ohioans to
vote by mail, while also taking away
opportunities to vote safely and cast a ballot
early in person. This attack on the democratic
process is deeply cynical and downright
un-American, not to mention dangerous. Gov. Mike
DeWine should pledge to veto this bill, and
Secretary of State Frank LaRose should condemn
it.”
State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan yesterday
criticized House Bill 680 — introduced by state
Rep. Cindy Abrams of Hamilton County — as the
Republican Party’s “
latest
demonstration
of
their
disdain for democracy as well as their utter
disregard for the well-being of the people
they were elected to serve.”
In contrast to the Ohio GOP,
state
Sen. Nickie Antonio and state Sen. Sandra
Williams today announced legislation that
would make it more convenient for Ohioans to
vote by mail, which is critical for
keeping Ohioans safe during the coronavirus
crisis. This bill would also protect current
state law that
locks
in a maximum ratio of voters per voting
machine.
Ohio
House Democrats have also offered a proposal
to ensure this November’s election is safe and
accessible for all eligible Ohioans.
“Ohio Democrats truly believe we’re all in this
together, and that’s why we support greater
voter participation — regardless of political
party,” said Pepper. “Expanding vote-by-mail is
not just the right thing to do;
it’s
got the support of the vast majority of
Americans. Donald Trump and his Republican
lackeys in the Ohio Statehouse are attacking the
right to vote because they’re afraid they will
lose in November if everyone can vote. Trump
himself told us so: ‘
Republicans
can’t
win
an
election’ if they let more people vote.”
The
Abrams’ bill proposes the following:
- Reduces the time for
military and non-military voters to vote by
mail by seven days;
- Eliminates the last
three days of early voting for military and
non-military voters;
- Undoes the mailing of
absentee ballot applications to all
registered voters, a provision that was
passed in last year’s budget;
- Replaces the
longstanding system of mailing a ballot
application to all voters with the mailing
of a postcard that is not an application,
like what was sent for this recent primary;
- Forbids the Secretary
of State from using federal CARES Act and
Help America Vote Act funding to pay return
postage for ballot applications and ballots;
- Sets an impossible
standard for how the state could modify
in-person voting in case COVID19 is still a
danger this fall. The Governor and ODH
director would have to declare the emergency
plan by Sept. 4 and the legislature would
have until Labor Day, 57 days before the
election, to approve the order for it to
take effect. This would guarantee that
boards of elections would not have the
supplies on hand to conduct the election by
mail;
- Potentially violates
federal statute which sets the election on
the first Tuesday after the first Monday in
November;
- Potentially violates
the federal Help America Vote Act by
unlawfully restricting failsafe provisional
ballot access;
- Does not allow for more
than one early voting location;
- Removes the state and
local health departments’ ability to set
standards for the conduct of elections. That
means the health officials could not set
standards for adequate social distancing,
cleaning and sanitizing, and the use of
masks.
###