Ohio Secretary of State tells federal commission that voter fraud happens, but is rare

Soon after taking office, President Donald Trump assembled an election integrity commission to investigate his theory that millions of people voted illegally in last year’s presidential election.

On Monday, Ohio’s top election official wrote in a letter to Trump’s panel that it didn’t happen in Ohio, a swing states crucial to Trump’s victory.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted told Trump’s commission his office identified 153 “irregularities” in Ohio during the 2016 election, in which 5.6 million Ohioans cast presidential ballots out of 7.9 million registered voters. His office referred 52 cases for further investigation and prosecution, including 22 individuals who voted in more than one state.

Election fraud pickings were similarly slim in past elections, Husted told the commission. His office found 42 “irregularities” in the 2014 election cycle, where 3,149,876 Ohioans cast general election ballots. His office sent 14 cases to prosecutors.

In the 2012 presidential election, Husted’s office noted 625 problems out of 5.6 million Ohio voters who cast ballots. He said his office referred 270 cases to prosecutors that year.

Husted said none of the state’s bipartisan election boards reported any voter suppression allegations to his office during the last three federal elections. His office also found 821 non-citizens on Ohio’s voter rolls, “of whom 126 have cast ballots and have been referred for prosecution.”

“I trust that in responding to the Commission, the information we are providing will assist you in sharing the facts about the system of elections that are carried out by each of the 50 states,” Husted’s letter to the commission said. “It is my belief that should the other states cooperate, you will be able to provide a clear and honest assessment of our elections. When your work is completed, I believe that you will conclude as I have that voter fraud exists, it is rare and we should take reasonable measures to prevent it and hold violators accountable.”

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