Ohio moves to purge non-citizens from voter rolls

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has directed the purge of "non-citizens" from the state's voter rolls following a review that identified over 100 non-citizens registered to vote.

The review, conducted by the Secretary of State’s Public Integrity Division and the Office of Data Analytics and Archives, found 137 voter registrations from individuals who had confirmed with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles that they were not American citizens.

These individuals will now be required to provide proof of citizenship or face removal from the voter rolls by the county board of elections

“Ohioans overwhelmingly passed an amendment to our state constitution which makes it clear that only U.S. citizens can vote in our elections,” said Secretary LaRose in a statement. “It is my duty under the law to uphold the constitution, and the legislature has explicitly tasked me with ensuring that only eligible citizens can register and vote.”

Ohio state law mandates the secretary of state to remove individuals who are not legally registered or eligible to vote in the state. LaRose acknowledged that some of these registrations might have been the result of an "honest mistake," but emphasized the necessity of taking action.

“These may be well-meaning people trying to pursue the American dream, and communication barriers sometimes result in a registration form being submitted in error. We need to help them get that cleared up before an accidental registration becomes an illegal vote that could result in a felony conviction or even deportation.”

LaRose is also seeking access to citizenship information from the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security administration, and federal district court records to ensure that these individuals are disqualified from certain benefits and jury service, according to Fox News.