Ohio has removed hundreds of noncitizens from its voting rolls as the state conducts an audit of registered voters ahead of the November presidential election.
On Thursday, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced county boards of elections are being directed to remove 499 noncitizen registrations from the state’s voter rolls.
“I swore an oath to uphold the constitution of our state, and that document clearly states that only United States citizens can participate in Ohio elections,” LaRose said in a press release announcing the news. “That means I’m duty-bound to make sure people who haven’t yet earned citizenship in this country aren’t voting. If or when they do become citizens, I’ll be the first one to congratulate them and welcome them to the franchise, but until then the law requires us to remove ineligible registrations to prevent illegal voting.”
Ohio is in the middle of a multiphase comprehensive audit of the statewide voter registration database as the state gears up for the general election on Nov. 5.