Free and fair elections don’t happen by chance. They require clear rules, well-trained professionals, strong safeguards and a commitment to making voting both secure and accessible. In Ohio, we don’t see those goals as competing priorities.
They work together.
They are the reason Ohio has become a national gold standard for election administration.
It starts with bipartisan oversight. Every county board of elections is led by two Republicans and two Democrats. The director and deputy director must represent opposite political parties, and sensitive responsibilities (from accessing voting equipment and handling ballots to conducting post-election audits) are carried out by bipartisan teams.
While in Washington, D.C., it sometimes seems like Republicans
and Democrats can’t agree on what day of the week it is, our election officials work side by side as bipartisan teams every day to get the job done. There will always be political disagreements, but no single party must control Ohio’s election process. That system of checks and balances is built into nearly everything we do.
Ohio also benefits from a strong partnership between state and local election officials. Our 88 county boards of elections manage elections in their communities, while the Secretary of State’s Office provides consistent rules, training, security standards and oversight.
Local officials understand their voters and communities, but every county is held to the same high statewide standards.
Of course, trust cannot be built on assurances alone. It must be verified by evidence.
Every Ohio vote ballot is on a voter-verified paper ballot record, and our voting systems are never connected to the internet. Before each election, voting equipment is tested by bipartisan experts to ensure it records and counts votes accurately. After every election, bipartisan teams publicly hand-count paper ballots and compare those totals with the certified results.
Those audits don’t simply tell voters the system worked. They prove it.
Ohio has also developed one of the nation’s most comprehensive voter-list maintenance programs. We regularly compare voter-registration records with reliable state and federal data to identify people who have moved, died, or may be inactive. At the same time, important safeguards protect eligible voters from being improperly removed.
We’ve also made election data more accessible to the public. Ohioans can review detailed voter-registration and election information for themselves rather than simply being asked to take the government’s word for it.
Our security efforts go well beyond voting equipment. Every county board must meet detailed physical security and cybersecurity requirements. Regional cybersecurity professionals work directly with county election officials, systems are continuously monitored for threats, vulnerabilities must be addressed quickly, and election officials regularly participate in training and security exercises.
Ohio was the first Secretary of State’s office to establish a formal vulnerability-disclosure program, allowing responsible security researchers to report potential weaknesses before criminals can exploit them. We were also the first to hire a full-time chief information security officer into a Secretary of State’s office.
Just as importantly, Ohio makes voting convenient. Voters have nearly a month of early in-person voting, including evening and weekend hours. Every registered voter can vote absentee from the comfort of their home, and accessible voting options allow Ohioans with disabilities to cast their ballot privately and independently. Ohio offers secure and convenient online voter registration and special accommodations for military and overseas voters. And of course, we offer easy Election Day voting close to home at one of thousands of polling locations open for 13 hours.
There is no single policy, program or piece of technology that makes an election system successful. There is no silver bullet.
The gold standard comes from combining preparation, professionalism, transparency and constant improvement. It comes from understanding that every lawful vote should be easy to cast, difficult to manipulate and accurately counted.
That is what Ohio voters deserve. It is what my office and our election officials work every day to deliver.
Frank LaRose is the 51st Ohio Secretary of State.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio elections don't require blind trust. Here's why | Opinion
