(Columbus) - Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced today that his office's Election Integrity Unit has sent a referral to the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Cleveland Field Office concerning voter registration activity conducted by Black Fork Strategies LLC under its registered trade name, Field Forward Ohio.
The referral asks federal law enforcement to independently review and investigate whether the new conduct, considered together with the office's prior 2024 referrals involving Black Fork Strategies, may constitute violations of federal criminal law. The same evidence will also be sent to state and county prosecutors for a review of compliance with applicable Ohio law.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this company’s shady and potentially criminal actions," said Secretary LaRose. "We referred serious concerns involving Black Fork Strategies in 2024. The same company is now the subject of new complaints involving thousands of voter registrations across multiple counties. We’ll throw the book at anyone who thinks they can break the law or, worse, abuse the trust of someone whose right to vote might be compromised by this group's seemingly perpetual negligence.”
The new investigation began after the Summit County Board of Elections reported that a Field Forward Ohio representative delivered six boxes containing just under 5,000 voter registration forms on October 5, 2026, only hours before Ohio's voter registration deadline. Election officials identified multiple registrations that appeared to have been completed more than 10 days before they were returned. Under R.C. 3599.11(B)(2)(a), a person who helps another person register to vote outside of an official voter registration place generally must return an entrusted registration form to a board of elections or the Secretary of State within ten days after the form is completed, subject to the statutory deadline provisions.
The Secretary of State's office has since received additional complaints or information concerning untimely registration form submission to boards of elections in Summit, Franklin, Wayne, Hamilton, Stark and Jackson counties.
In Hamilton County, Field Forward Ohio delivered approximately 4,000 voter registration forms on October 5. County election officials reported that approximately 321 had been collected or signed more than 10 days before they were filed.
On October 7, Field Forward Ohio delivered another 109 voter registration forms after the October 5 registration deadline, which also appear to be noncompliant with Ohio’s statutory submission requirements. Counsel for the organization acknowledged that those registrations had not been submitted by the deadline. On October 14, the Secretary of State's office received approximately 46 additional voter registration forms from Field Forward Ohio, again appearing to be noncompliant with state law. The forms ranged in date from October 2018 through October 2026. Correspondence from the organization's counsel stated that a subsequent search of Field Forward Ohio's offices revealed additional forms that had not previously been submitted to the Hamilton County Board of Elections.
"The appropriate federal law enforcement agencies should have the full record and determine whether additional criminal investigation is warranted,” Secretary LaRose added. "Ohioans deserve to know that organizations entrusted with their voter registrations are following the law and getting those forms to election officials on time."
The federal referral is a follow-up to the Secretary of State's office's 2024 referrals involving Black Fork Strategies LLC. Those referrals concerned voter registration forms submitted by canvassers working on behalf of Black Fork Strategies, including forms that citizens reported they had not completed, forms with allegedly forged signatures, forms that appeared to contain identical handwriting, and a registration purportedly signed after the registrant had died.
Field Forward Ohio is not a separate successor organization. It is a trade name registered by Black Fork Strategies LLC with the Ohio Secretary of State. Black Fork Strategies registered the Field Forward Ohio trade name in January 2025 and identified the general nature of its business as field work, including voter registration and petition circulation.
The Election Integrity Unit continues to investigate potential violations of Ohio law.
Additional Background:
The Secretary of State's office referred Black Fork Strategies for criminal investigation in 2024 after receiving reports of suspected fraudulent voter registration activity in multiple Ohio counties. In January 2025, Black Fork Strategies LLC registered Field Forward Ohio as a trade name with the Ohio Secretary of State. The new referral supplements the prior Black Fork Strategies referrals and asks federal law enforcement to consider the newly identified activity conducted under the Field Forward Ohio name together with the previously referred matters. Information regarding the 2024 Black Fork Strategies referral and subsequent warning to county election officials is available through the Ohio Secretary of State’s media office.