(C) Ohio Capital Journal
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Ohio’s election officials will deliver a secure and accurate election • Ohio Capital Journal [1]
['Paul Adams', 'Kim Wyman', 'Marilou Johanek', 'Alison Brysk', 'Hugh Jackson', 'More From Author', 'October', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus']
Date: 2024-10-30
Ohio’s elections frequently draw national attention. From the mailing of military ballots to the completion of the election audit, Ohioans understand the importance of well-run, transparent elections.
Since the 2020 election, election administration has shifted from a relatively obscure policy area to the center of the numerous political debates. Concerns have been raised about how elections are run both in Ohio and across the United States. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, it’s important to understand the work of the election officials who guarantee secure and accurate elections.
Election administration is a full-time job, and the electoral process starts long before Election Day. Election administration is largely tasked to Ohio’s 88 counties. In every county, elections are run by competent, experienced election officials and overseen by bipartisan county boards of elections, ensuring transparency and fairness. Staff appointments are made in a bipartisan fashion, too – reinforcing Ohio’s commitment to bipartisanship in all parts of election administration.
The candidates, the ballot measures, and the tools you need to cast your vote. 2024 Ohio Voter Guide
In addition to bipartisan oversight, Ohio election officials benefit from a statewide support system — the Ohio Association of Election Officials (OAEO). This group provides officials with a platform to share experiences, resources, and information on best practices for election administration.
Additionally, OAEO provides election officials with continuing education courses through the Ohio State University’s Ohio Registered Election Official Certification (OREO) program. OREO offers certification for election officials, guaranteeing that they are educated on election laws, processes, and management. Since the program’s launch, over 600 officials have been certified by OREO.
As part of the regular election process, officials rigorously test voting equipment ahead of elections to ensure security and accuracy. These machines are not connected to the internet, minimizing the risk of external interference or vote manipulation.
Since 2008, Ohio election officials have conducted post-election audits to provide an additional layer of confidence. This combination of policies — machine tabulation of votes followed by a post-election audit — is the most accurate and efficient vote tabulation process. In fact, audit results released by the Ohio Secretary of State after each election routinely demonstrate 99.9% accuracy.
In addition to maintaining a well-trained, professional election official workforce, Ohio’s laws have built-in mechanisms to ensure security, transparency, and accuracy.
State law and election officials guarantee that only eligible voters participate in elections.
It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections under federal law, and in 2022 Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting noncitizens from voting in state or local elections. Comprehensive analyses from across the political spectrum have concluded that noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare and has never occurred in numbers large enough to determine election outcomes.
These are just a small number of the numerous tasks undertaken by election officials across Ohio to keep elections safe, secure, and accurate.
Despite their high degree of experience and professionalism, election officials can still use further support from lawmakers and citizens.
Ohio’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives should vote to pass the U.S. Senate’s proposed additional funding for election security grants, allowing for greater resources for election officials to invest in security infrastructure and technological upgrades. The Ohio legislature can improve funding for local election offices to improve election official recruitment, training, and retention efforts.
For citizens curious about the electoral process, consider volunteering to be a poll worker to both learn about the system and aid in administering the election. When questions arise about the elections in Ohio, please visit vote.ohio.gov to access up-to-date information on election-related policies and processes.
Ohio has built a system designed to ensure that every vote counts and that the electoral process is secure and transparent. By staying informed, getting involved, and supporting election officials, Ohioans can be confident that their elections are in good hands.
Paul Adams is the current President of the Ohio Association of Election Officials and the Director of the Lorain County Board of Elections. Kim Wyman is the former Secretary of State of Washington State and a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, DC-based think tank.
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