Secretary Husted warns election officials of suspicious voter registrations

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced he has advised local election officials to carefully analyze new voter registrations being submitted by the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. In Advisory 2015-07, the Chief Elections Officer warned county boards of elections that a rise in the number of irregularities warrants a closer review of registrations submitted by the organization.
 
Irregularities being reported from the county boards of elections include voter registration forms from persons who are deceased, voter registration forms with multiple names, address or identification mismatches and voter registration update forms that appear to have been signed by someone other than the voter.
 

“Becoming a registered voter in Ohio is not a complicated process – you have to be a resident, provide accurate and up-to-date information, and obviously still be alive,” Secretary Husted said. “Anytime we receive reports that invalid and fraudulent voter registrations are being submitted we take it seriously and will work to ensure those individuals or groups responsible are held accountable.”
 
The advisory reminds elections officials that state law prohibits knowingly helping an unqualified person register to vote, completing false registration forms and signing another person’s name to a voter registration form. The Secretary also reminds boards of their responsibility to investigate all suspicious registrations in accordance with Ohio law.
 
Secretary Husted encouraged boards of elections to consult with their county prosecutor should any suspicious registrations be submitted and to notify the Secretary of State’s Office if a registration is referred for prosecution.