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LISBON -- Among the 385 non-citizens found to be on voter registration rolls by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, only one was from Columbiana County and that person was not among the 82 who actually cast a ballot.
Husted issued a news release last week in which he said an investigation by his staff found that 385 non-citizens had registered to vote, but only 82 actually had done so in the past year.
Husted conducted similar reviews in 2013 and 2015 using Ohio's Statewide Registered Voter Database, which provides access to additional personal information databases not available to county election boards.
"In light of the national discussion about illegal voting it is important to inform our discussions with fact. The fact is voter fraud happens, it is rare and when it happens we hold people accountable," he said.
The 82 non-citizens who had voted will be referred to the state and federal law enforcement agencies for further investigation and possible prosecution. The 303 who did not will be sent letters informing them that as non-citizens it is illegal for them to cast a ballot and asking they cancel their registration. Those who fail to do so within 30 days will receive a second letter, after which state and federal law enforcement agencies will be contacted.
County elections board director Adam Booth was unaware there was someone from the county on Husted's list. "The report I got from the secretary of state did not break it down, so if you have the list that's news to me," he said.
Booth said when someone registers with a county elections board they are asked if they are 18 or older and a U.S. citizen. The applicant is also required to provide a driver's license or the last four numbers of their Social Security number as proof of identity, and he assumes the person in this case produced a driver's license since that is much easier to obtain than a Social Security card.
The local elections board then submits the new registrant's information to the secretary of state's office, which has the ability to perform a detailed background investigation into their personal identity using other sources of information unavailable to county boards.
"We don't have the cross check system they do," he said. "They handle that from their end."
tgiambroni@mojonews.com