LaRose seeks another term as Ohio secretary of state

May 17—Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Monday that he's seeking another four years as the state's top elections official and pointed to the 2020 election for why voters should keep him in office.

The 42‑year‑old Republican said in his announcement video that "while other states struggled, Ohio got it right," and in a statement said that under his leadership the state delivered the "most safe, secure, and accessible election in Ohio history."

Mr. LaRose, an Army veteran and former state senator, was first elected as Ohio's chief elections officer in 2018. Until Monday, Mr. LaRose hadn't previously ruled out a run for Sen. Rob Portman's U.S. Senate seat in 2022.

To date, no Democrats have launched a campaign against Mr. LaRose, who beat Kathleen Clyde, a former House member, with nearly 51 percent of the vote in 2018's general election.

"When I took office in 2019, I made it my mission to do everything in my power to create a thriving democracy and prospering economy for all Ohioans," Mr. LaRose said in a statement. "Despite challenges unlike any our state has ever faced, we helped Ohio entrepreneurs set all-time records for new business creation while finding new ways to connect them to the resources that can help them succeed. We also unequivocally delivered the most safe, secure, and accessible election in Ohio's history."

In addition to overseeing elections, the secretary of state's office is the agency responsible for registering new businesses.

Mr. LaRose has come under fire for carrying out the state's so‑called "voter purge" law, which existed before Mr. LaRose came into office and directs 88 local boards of elections to cancel inactive registrations. Proponents say it helps prevent election fraud, while Democrats and activists argue the practice disenfranchises some voters.

Mr. LaRose was the first secretary of state to make public the list of voters about to get removed his first year in office. State officials say more than 40,000 Ohio voter registrations scheduled to be purged remained active because voters took the required actions or qualified for exemptions.

The same year, the secretary of state issued a major security directive for county boards of elections aimed at preventing hacking and other IT security issues.

Ohio is among the states to see a GOP‑led effort to rewrite election laws after the 2020 election, despite Republican victories here. A bill introduced in the Ohio House this month would limit drop boxes, eliminate or switch a day of early voting, and tighten voter ID requirements for requesting absentee ballots.

It would also accomplish some priorities that Mr. LaRose and activists have pushed for, including an online absentee ballot request system and voter registration through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

The Ohio Democratic Party said Mr. LaRose doesn't deserve another term.

"Any politician that would push legislation that rolls back Ohioans' right to vote has no business overseeing elections in our state," spokesman Matt Keyes said. "LaRose has proven that he's willing to do or say anything to help himself, including negotiate away Ohioans' rights at the ballot box."

First Published May 17, 2021, 9:47am