(Columbus) - Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose called on the Ohio General Assembly today to enact legislation giving his office authority to require proof of citizenship on state-issued voter registration forms.
"American elections are only for American citizens. This is common sense and it's also the law. Despite roadblocks and lack of support from the federal government, Ohio has led the way in removing noncitizens from the voter rolls and referring those who violate the law to prosecutors,"said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. "Following a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court, we now have the opportunity to require front-end citizenship verification prior to a registration being processed. This would be a great step forward for future elections, and I'm asking the Ohio General Assembly to pass legislation further protecting the integrity of Ohio's elections."
Secretary LaRose sent a letter to legislative leaders of the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives asking lawmakers to take legislative action on the proposal. The request comes on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the state of Arizona to issue use a state-prescribed registration form requiring proof of citizenship.
Ohio law gives the Secretary of State exclusive authority to issue an official voter registration form, but state law does not currently allow the Secretary to require proof of citizenship.