COLUMBUS – Ohio’s top elections official says his office has identified more than 100 non-citizens who have voted illegally in the last four years.
Secretary of State Jon Husted announced Monday that his office identified 385 non-citizens registered to vote in Ohio, 82 of whom voted in at least one election, bringing the total number of non-citizens on Ohio’s voter rolls to 821, with 126 of those individuals having actually cast ballots.
The number includes 17 voters found in a 2013 review, 27 in 2015 and 82 in 2017, Husted said.
“In light of the national discussion about illegal voting it is important to inform our discussions with facts. The fact is voter fraud happens, it is rare and when it happens, we hold people accountable,” Husted said.
The voters were uncovered through reviews of Ohio’s Statewide Registered Voter Database and Husted says none of the cases in which a non-citizen is shown to have cast a ballot were in elections decided by one vote or tied.
Top counties with non-citizens registered/voted
Franklin 92/14
Cuyahoga 61/16
Hamilton 22/10
Trumbull 17/2
Montgomery 12/2
Lucas 10/5
-Source: Ohio Secretary of State
The non-citizens that are registered to vote and have cast ballots will be immediately turned over to law enforcement for further investigation and possible prosecution. The 303 registered voters identified as non-citizens who did not cast ballots will receive letters requesting that they cancel their registration. A follow-up letter will be sent to any individuals that still remain on the rolls after 30 days and any are still on the rolls after being contacted twice will be referred to law enforcement.
Husted’s office uses information from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles where residency must be documented in order to receive a drivers’ license or state ID. Non-citizens were identified by a double confirmation process, which requires a registered voter to have provided documentation to the BMV indicating that they are a non-citizen two times before being flagged.