In case you missed it: Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s recent guest column in theToledo Bladeoutlines how Ohio is leading the nation in election integrity—taking proactive steps to keep our voter rolls clean and accurate.
Read the full piece here:
LaRose: Ohio is setting standard with clean, transparent voter rolls
Toledo Blade
9/16/2025
FOUNDING FATHER John Adams famously described our form of government as “a government of laws, not of men.” Similarly, Ohio’s elections are built upon a foundation of laws that I dutifully uphold as Ohio’s 51st Secretary of State.
Since taking office in 2019, I’ve made it a priority to address one of the most critical — but often overlooked — aspects of election integrity: maintaining clean and accurate voter rolls in accordance with both state and federal law. In today’s environment of misplaced outrage over so-called “purges,” I believe nothing builds public confidence in our democratic process more than transparency and trust.
That’s why I’m proud that Ohio is leading the nation on both fronts.
Accurate voter rolls are the backbone of secure elections. That’s why state law requires my office — and Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections — to regularly verify the accuracy of our statewide voter registration database. This isn’t a one-time job. It’s an ongoing responsibility, supported by cutting-edge technology and smart, proactive policy.
In 2023, I launched the Office of Data Analytics and Archives to bring modern tools to this longstanding challenge. That team developed a custom data integrity system that empowers our local election officials to identify and correct discrepancies quickly — ensuring our voter rolls reflect those who are truly eligible to vote.
But the work doesn’t stop there. Every month, we take a range of proactive steps to keep the rolls clean. We remove registrations for deceased individuals and those incarcerated for felonies. We cross-reference new voter registrations with citizenship records and past voting history to flag potential noncitizens. And we keep duplicate registrations under 0.30 percent on an ongoing basis, with a requirement that every one of them be resolved well before Election Day.
Each year, we conduct even more rigorous checks. We work with other states to identify people who have moved or voted elsewhere, and we share voting histories to help investigate and prosecute double voting when necessary.
We also use National Change of Address data to identify voters who may have moved and notify them to confirm or update their information. And for voters who haven’t participated in an election in two years, we send notices to verify their status. After a total of six years with zero voter activity, bad data is removed from the rolls.
Additional federal data continues to be a major priority to identify bad data in a more timely manner. I sued the Biden administration for stonewalling my requests and continue to work with the new administration to ensure Ohio has every resource to complete our mission that we are entitled to. Progress has been made, but there is certainly more work to be done.
The integrity of these efforts depends on the public’s ability to see and understand them. That’s why transparency is a cornerstone of our work. Unlike most states, Ohio publishes its full Statewide Voter Registration Database online for free — and updates it weekly. We also post daily snapshots showing new, updated, or removed registrations, giving Ohioans near real-time visibility into the process.
Before any registration is removed through the National Change of Address or Supplemental Process, we publish the Registration Readiness list. This gives every voter the opportunity to review and respond to any pending changes. It’s a level of openness few states offer — and it reflects my commitment to earning and keeping the public’s trust.
By combining rigorous data practices, modern technology, and a culture of transparency, we’ve built one of the most secure and reliable voter registration systems in the country. Clean rolls don’t just protect our elections — they protect every voter’s voice.
Other states would do well to follow Ohio’s lead.
Frank LaRose is the Ohio Secretary of State.
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