COLUMBUS (AP) — The Franklin County Prosecutor says seven people have been indicted on charges they voted illegally because they weren’t citizens.
The seven registered and voted in the county that includes the city of Columbus during elections in 2012, 2015 and 2016, Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said.
“Today’s indictments are added proof that if you cheat in Ohio elections you will be caught and held accountable…Coordinated efforts like these – that included both state and local entities – have made it easy to vote and hard to cheat in Ohio.” -Ohio Secy. of State Jon Husted
“I want to commend our Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Prosecutor Ron O’Brien for their work leading to these indictments. Voter fraud is a serious crime.” -Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine
O’Brien, a Republican, says his office also investigated several non-citizens who registered and voted but had also checked a box on a questionnaire indicating they were not citizens.
O’Brien says those individuals weren’t prosecuted but were removed from the voter rolls.
The prosecutor investigated the allegations along with the Ohio Secretary of State and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.