Ohio OKs nation's strongest voting system integrity standards

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced this week that the Ohio Board of Voting Systems Examiners (BVSE) has voted to approve the nation’s strongest voting system inspection and security standards, once again positioning the state as a national leader on election integrity.

The Ohio General Assembly recently gave the BVSE broader oversight authority of all voting systems and equipment, allowing for the adoption of more rigorous security standards well beyond the federal requirements. During the board’s Wednesday meeting, members unanimously approved new security and performance requirements for all voting system vendors and equipment, adding ballot-on-demand printers and voter registration database systems to the board’s previous oversight of voting machines.

“Ohioans expect their elections to be secure, accurate, and accessible, and that starts with holding our voting systems to the highest possible standards,” said Secretary LaRose. “By going above and beyond the federal requirements, we’re once again proving that Ohio is setting the national example for election security and integrity.”

Ohio election officials are also currently conducting required logic and accuracy testing of all voting equipment ahead of the November general election, and boards of elections are working to implement increased physical and cybersecurity standards outlined in Security Directive 6.0.

Secretary LaRose is the first Ohio Secretary of State to implement aggressive security standards for all 88 county boards of elections. Each directive builds on prior enhancements to match the evolving threat landscape by requiring boards to:

• Configure networks, firewalls, vulnerability assessment tools and equipment with the most recent approved security updates.

• Complete monthly cybersecurity checklists to ensure protection from malicious threats.

• Conduct a county-specific security audit led by the Secretary of State’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and cybersecurity team, the first full-time unit of its kind in the nation.

• Comply with enhanced physical security requirements, including proper equipment storage, video surveillance, and bipartisan access protocols.