Press Releases

Bill is a Win-Win for Voters, Taxpayers

COLUMBUS – Every year in December, families and businesses across both Ohio and the nation celebrate the holiday season by sharing gifts with their loved ones. To most, this is an enduring, memorable time of their lives that started when they were children. Now as adults, a number of Ohioans are helping other families make holiday memories as special as theirs by starting a toy business. The eight businesses featured in this month’s Ohio Business Spotlight have taken their passion for toys, books, bikes and more, and turned them into unique and magical shops for local community members to enjoy.

At the direction of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a review of the most recent new business filings indicates that with more than five weeks left in 2021, Ohio has already broken the state record for new business filings. As of close of business on November 21st, 181,586 new businesses have been created in the state of Ohio in 2021, breaking the record of 171,073 new businesses set throughout all of 2020.

With 14,140 new business filings in October, Ohio entrepreneurs are close to breaking the record total for 2020 with two full months remaining to create a business. Ohioans have submitted a total of 170,740 new business filings through October this year versus last year’s record of 171,073 new filings from January to December.

COLUMBUS – When a veteran comes home from serving, he or she has accumulated an array of skills, knowledge, discipline, and other expertise that translate seamlessly to Ohio’s workforce needs. Our veterans have an unparalleled sense of duty and a desire to give back to their communities after they leave the service, as their pledge to serve their country continues. Many veterans start their own businesses to serve their community, work independently, put their skills to work, or all the above. By visiting the Ohio Business Spotlight below, you will learn about a sample of Ohio Veterans who decided to embrace their experience and share their passion and work ethic with others.

As a result of a failure by the Franklin County Board of Elections to effectively follow a remediation plan as provided by the Ohio Secretary of State, e-pollbooks failed once again to work properly this past Election Day. Consequentially, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is placing the Franklin County Board of Elections on Administrative Oversight.

COLUMBUS – Tomorrow is Election Day! 377,399 voters have cast their absentee ballot or voted early statewide. Of those, 172,886 cast their ballot early in-person. This data includes all ballots received and processed through 2:00pm on Monday afternoon. Total absentee and early in-person ballots cast are 17.8% (57,100) more than at the same point in November 2019.

Ohio’s remarkable year of new business filings continued in September, as the Ohio Secretary of State’s Business Services Division reported 14,543 new business formations for the month of September. Through the first nine months of 2021, 156,600 new businesses have formed in Ohio, as Ohioans continue to defy expectations amid the economic headwinds stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Today Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Sherrod Brown once again failed to move S. 2747, their latest attempt to federalize election administration, forward. After their failure, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued the following statement:

With 20 days until the election, more than 27,000 Ohioans have signed up to serve as a poll worker on November 2nd. This includes 12,456 Democratic poll workers and 11,592 Republicans. Yet only four of the 88 counties have met their recruitment goal for the November election. A review of all county data shows Ohio remains 17,393 poll workers short of the goal of recruiting 42,204 poll workers.

The following statement from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is pursuant to some members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission calling for another statewide tour instead of working to reach agreement on a 10-year congressional map:

COLUMBUS – With Ohio’s early industrialization in the 1800’s spurred by our agricultural roots and robust transportation infrastructure, Ohio cities became manufacturing hubs that drew thousands to migrate to Ohio from other states and abroad. Today more than 700,000 Ohioans work as machinists, engineers, technicians, and other manufacturing jobs at businesses throughout the state, making Ohio the nation’s third largest manufacturing state after California and Texas. On Manufacturing Day, we highlight Ohio manufacturing businesses that create the necessary products to modernize our world while providing high-skill, high-tech, and high-paying jobs in our communities.

Ohio is a bottom-up voter registration state and the Ohio Statewide Voter Registration Database reflects the voter registration records maintained by the 88 county boards of elections. Today the Office of the Ohio Secretary of State updated its Statewide Voter Registration Database to reflect the latest statewide party affiliation information.

COLUMBUS – Today, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced that voting for military and overseas Ohioans has begun for the election on November 2, 2021. All other registered voters may begin voting in-person or by mail-in absentee ballot starting October 5, 2021, with the deadline to register being October 4th. Voters may view their sample ballot on the VoteOhio.gov website.

COLUMBUS – Ohioans have a history of hard work, grit, and talent. These qualities are often best exemplified by Ohioans who work in the skilled trades. Trade work is learned, often through apprenticeships, and then turned into impactful labor and construction in our communities. This Labor Day, we recognize the Ohio plumbers, mechanics, carpenters, steel workers, and other tradespeople who provide valuable, necessary services to so many, while also giving back to our Ohio communities.

Ohio is the gold standard(opens in a new window) of election administration, and in 2020, more Ohioans voted in the presidential election than in any election in state history. Such access to the ballot is only possible thanks to the security protocols in place that ensure the integrity of the election. Key to election integrity is the accuracy of the voter rolls managed by the 88 county boards of elections. Boosting the accuracy of voter rolls would be significantly enhanced if the Ohio General Assembly adopted Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s proposal to modernize and automate the system as seen in HB 294. In lieu of this proposal being actualized, Ohio must still take the necessary steps prescribed under current law to remove abandoned registrations and strengthen the security of the system.

COLUMBUS – Since taking office in 2019, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has made poll worker recruitment a priority. Innovative outreach programs were initiated to ensure polling locations were fully staffed each election day. With the impact of COVID-19, recruitment efforts became exponentially more important as a high percentage of poll workers were older Ohioans. Today, the Ohio Supreme Court announced(opens in a new window) one of these pioneering programs will continue through the November 2021 election.

COLUMBUS – Ohio recorded 15,230 new business filings in the month of July, continuing Ohio’s torrid pace of new business creations for 2021, coming off the heels of 2020’s record setting year.

COLUMBUS – Ohioans have long made their living off the land. Over time, it became our state’s number one industry, and today most of Ohio’s 77,000 farms are run by families. Put plainly, Ohio relies on our land and the people who cultivate it.

COLUMBUS – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has received the 2021 "Innovators Award" from the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) for Ohio's Precinct Election Official Recruitment Program during the 2020 election.