Ohio Secretary of State Denounces New ‘Assault on the Integrity of Our Voting Process’

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has denounced a proposed constitutional amendment recently filed with the state’s Attorney General’s Office that would amend Ohio’s constitution by rewriting election rules.

The proposed constitutional amendment, titled “Secure and Fair Elections,” would amend the Ohio Constitution by adding the following list of “rights” in regards to voting:

• Automatic voter registration;
• Unchecked same-day voter registration and voting;
• A signed declaration of identity to replace a voter’s photo identification;
• Multiple unregulated drop boxes and early voting locations throughout a county;
• An extended post-election ballot return period;
• Unregulated expansion of early voting hours by county;
• State-funded prepaid return postage for all absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots; and
• A ban on the removal of inactive voter registration records, as required under current state and federal law, resulting in these registrations remaining on the rolls despite the voter having moved or died.

“Let me be clear: there will be nothing secure and fair about the way we vote in this state if this amendment is passed. It’s a direct assault on the integrity of our voting process and the safeguards we’ve put in place to hold that process accountable,” LaRose said in a statement. “I predicted months ago that radical interests are preparing to jam their extreme agendas into our state constitution because they can’t get them passed by the people’s representatives in the Statehouse. That effort is well underway.”

“This is a political Trojan horse designed to make elections easier to steal, and they’re dishonestly doing it under the name of security and fairness. Pay attention, Ohioans,” LaRose added.

By Thursday, December 28, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost must determine whether the proposed amendment summary is “fair and truthful.”

In the case the summary is approved, the Ohio Ballot Board, chaired by LaRose, will convene to “determine whether the proposed amendment consists of one or multiple issues.”

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Sec State Frank LaRose” by Frank LaRose.