Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the Republican candidate for state auditor in the upcoming Nov. 3 general election, spoke to Allen County Republicans on Friday at their monthly luncheon. LaRose, who is completing his eighth and final general election as Secretary of State due to term limits, expressed his eagerness to begin a new chapter of public service as the state's auditor.
LaRose, who took office as Secretary of State in January 2019, is now seeking to become Ohio's next Auditor of State. He is running against Democrat Annette Blackwell in the general election. Early voting for this year's election is set to open on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
While acknowledging that the average Ohio resident might not be deeply concerned with the state auditor's office, LaRose described his campaign as a "new call to duty." He characterized the office as the public's "watchdog for public corruption and fraud." LaRose stated his intention to continue the work of the current auditor, fellow Republican Keith Faber of Celina, in identifying and combating fraud within government agencies. LaRose asserted that "anyone stealing public funds deserves to be in a jail cell."
He further emphasized the significance of retaining a Republican in the state auditor position, noting its role as one of seven members on the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The commission includes the governor, auditor, secretary of state, and appointees from the Ohio Senate president, Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader. LaRose warned that if Republicans were to lose two of the three seats they currently hold on the commission, Democrats would gain control. He stressed the importance of having "fair legislative districts."
Reflecting on his tenure as Secretary of State, LaRose stated that his office has learned from each election. He expressed confidence that the upcoming election in 32 days could be "a really good, smooth election," potentially the best he has overseen as Secretary of State.
During his time as Secretary of State, LaRose has consistently reported election law violations discovered by his office. Last year, his office referred more than 1,000 cases of alleged voter fraud to the U.S. Department of Justice. However, according to the Ohio Capital Journal, nearly all of these allegations have been proven meritless. LaRose conceded that instances of election fraud in Ohio are rare.
He clarified his stance, stating, "I have always said that voter fraud is exceedingly rare. And the reason we keep it rare is because we take it seriously in Ohio." LaRose drew a comparison, noting that airplane hijackings are also rare, yet this does not lead to the abolition of the Transportation Security Administration. He explained that maintaining an enforcement mechanism ensures that such issues remain uncommon, a principle he said his office applies in Ohio.
LaRose also urged Republican voters to support state Issue 3, which proposes to embed a current voting requirement into the Ohio Constitution: the presentation of state-issued identification cards to cast a ballot. He argued that the state constitution is too easily amended, citing issues like "marijuana and abortion and casinos in the constitution that don't really belong there." LaRose believes that fundamental rules for governing a state belong in the constitution, and he considers photo ID to be one such important matter. He noted that photo ID has been the law in Ohio for many years, is widely accepted despite opposition, and deserves the permanence of constitutional inclusion.
