Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Monday that he has forwarded evidence of suspected election violations to prosecutors in 20 counties, including Tuscarawas County.
“We take every allegation of wrongdoing in our elections seriously, whether it’s a fake signature on a petition, a fraudulent voter registration form, or a stolen vote,” LaRose stated in a news release.
Although voter fraud is uncommon, various reports have shown that many alleged cases often result from mistakes made by voters or administrators, according to New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice.
Dan Lusheck, deputy communications director with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, informed the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau that the violations involve petition forms aimed at granting minor party status and placing a constitutional amendment about redistricting on the November ballot.
He mentioned that the violations also include fraudulent voter registration forms submitted by canvassers working for Black Fork Strategies, an Ohio-based company specializing in voter registration and canvassing services.
Lusheck added that the office suspects individuals circulated petitions and attested to signatures that are “blatantly false, forged, and/or contained fictitious names.”
What do the groups involved have to say about this action?
Loretta Kane from Black Fork Strategies stated that the company has fully cooperated with boards of elections and the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office regarding all information related to the voter registration program.
“Because we are committed to fair elections, we have provided Secretary LaRose’s office with information regarding former canvassers and our internal quality control process,” Kane said in a statement. “Throughout 2023 and 2024, Black Fork Strategies has not engaged in any large-scale petition operations, nor did we receive any inquiries regarding petition work from the Secretary of State’s Office or any of the county boards of elections.”
Chris Davey, spokesperson for Citizens Not Politicians, the ballot campaign behind the November redistricting amendment, stated that Black Fork Strategies was not a paid circulator for the amendment, and none of the signatures the campaign submitted were collected by Black Fork Strategies.
“None of this affects the established validity of the more than a half-million valid signatures that Secretary of State LaRose certified to place us on the Nov. 5 ballot,” he said.
Which counties are involved?
Luschek indicated that referrals were made to the following Ohio counties:
- Butler
- Champaign
- Cuyahoga
- Delaware
- Fairfield
- Franklin
- Hamilton
- Harrison
- Jackson
- Knox
- Licking
- Mercer
- Montgomery
- Richland
- Stark
- Summit
- Trumbull
- Tuscarawas
- Warren
- Wayne