Ohio uncovers over 1,000 noncitizens 'appearing' registered to vote, sends cases to DOJ for prosecution

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An investigation by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has uncovered over 1,000 noncitizens who "appear to have registered to vote unlawfully in Ohio," his office announced Tuesday.

LaRose says he has referred all 1,084 cases to the Department of Justice, noting that 167 of the individuals appear to have cast a ballot in a federal election since 2018. LaRose's office also referred 135 others for potential prosecution, citing evidence of other unlawful voting activity.

"Ohio has earned its reputation as the Gold Standard, and our Election Integrity Unit continues to prove why," LaRose said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We work tirelessly to ensure that every eligible voter’s voice is heard, and anyone who tries to cheat the system will face serious consequences."

LaRose sent a letter to the DOJ's criminal division on Tuesday, highlighting the evidence of the 1,084 noncitizen voter registrations as well as other alleged crimes.

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Voters fill out their ballots on Election Day in Columbus, Ohio on November 7, 2023. Residents of Ohio voted Nov. 7, 2023 to enshrine the right to an abortion in the Republican-run U.S. state's constitution, U.S. media projected, in what could be a bellwether for an issue which is likely to dominate next year's presidential race. (Getty Images)

The other crimes include 99 individuals who appear to have voted in two states in the same federal election; 16 people who appear to have voted twice in Ohio in the same federal election; 14 who appear to have voted in a federal election after the date of their death; four who appear to have engaged in ballot harvesting and two who registered at an unlawful residence.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose speaks during a House Administration Committee hearing in the Longworth House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (getty images)

Tuesday's referrals are a continuation of LaRose's effort to clean up Ohio's voter rolls ahead of the 2024 election. LaRose sued former President Joe Biden's administration for failing to provide data that could have allowed his office to identify wrongful voter registrations.

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His office also removed over 155,000 voter registrations that were confirmed to be abandoned and inactive for at least four consecutive years.

Ohio removed roughly 155,000 wrongful voter registrations from its rolls ahead of the 2024 election. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

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The audit relied on analysis and cross-checks against records provided by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Homeland Security’s federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database, the Social Security Administration, federal jury pool data and other resources.

LaRose's office also referred hundreds of alleged noncitizen voters to the DOJ for potential prosecution in the months leading up to Election Day.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.