COLUMBUS — Secretary of State Frank LaRose told Ohio’s county boards of elections on Thursday that federal immigration agents will not patrol polling places during the November election, urging officials not to change procedures based on online rumors.
In an Oct. 1 memo, LaRose instructed boards not to alter election procedures because of “social media rumors, partisan commentary or speculation.” The memo arrives just days before Ohio begins early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 election, which includes high-stakes races for governor and U.S. Senate.
“I recognize our obligation to be prepared for any realistic scenario that might arise during the voting process,” LaRose said. “But fear is not an election plan, and rumor is not a security protocol.”
Democrats and voting rights advocates have raised concerns about federal agents at the polls as President Donald Trump continues an aggressive immigration crackdown and pushes for greater federal oversight of elections. A Latino civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit Sept. 10 seeking to keep immigration agents away from voting sites, arguing their presence would intimidate voters.
When asked about the prospect in May, Trump told reporters he would do “anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections.” The Department of Homeland Security has said immigration officers would go to polling places only to serve warrants or respond to specific threats.
Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials, said he has fielded several questions from boards about the issue. LaRose said at least one board conducted a tabletop exercise to prepare for a potential immigration-enforcement scenario, and that some poll workers in another county resigned “due to a perceived lack of clarity on the matter.”
