Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, R-Columbus, told attendees of a Tuesday morning Legislative Impact meeting how Ohio “shined” as a national model for how it conducted the 2020 election and achieved a record number of new business starts during the pandemic.
Sec. LaRose compared the state’s elections officials and poll workers to figure skaters in the way they made the conducting last year’s election seem “effortless.”
LaRose then joked with county and city elected officials, elections board officials and school and business leaders in attendance at the Logan County Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event at the Bellefontaine High School Distance Learning Center that many people think his job is to “write treaties with Michigan.”
Ohio’s chief elections officer said he became passionate about his current role while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq and Kosovo. During his time in the service, he recalled the pride he saw in Iraqi citizens who raised purple ink-stained fingers — a method to show they had voted — in defiance of terrorists.
“It’s never been harder in 218 years of our state’s history to run elections than it was in 2020,” the Akron native said.
“When Ohio was put the test, we set the example for the rest of the nation. Ohio ran what can only be called the most successful election we’ve ever had.”
He based his comments on some key metrics of record voter registration and turn out and a significant reduction in absentee ballot rejection rate.
A record number of Ohioans — about 8 million — were registered to vote and some 6 million cast a ballot last year.
LaRose said two state programs used to increase voter registration during the pandemic were “Raise a Glass for Democracy” and “Stylin’ for Democracy,” using bars, craft breweries and hair salons as places where people could register to vote, instead of more traditional venues like county fairs.
One barbershop in Columbus registered 2,000 people to vote, he noted.
The secretary said his office also utilized graphic designers to make absentee ballot forms more user-friendly, a move which helped lower the ballot rejection rate from 1 percent to .042 percent.
There were several lawsuits filed at the last minute in attempt to change Ohio election laws, which the secretary’s office was able to defeat.
“Changing election laws at the last minute is a recipe for disaster. Election laws should be changed in the statehouse not the courthouse.”
Regarding new business starts, LaRose said Ohio broke a previous annual record with some 171,000 new business formations in 2020.
The secretary believes part of that record figure was achieved because of his office’s quick turnaround time processing new applications, which he said often occurs in 24 hours versus the stated five-day period.
Much of the state’s new business filing process is able to be done online to make the process easier, and Ohio has cheapest new business filing application fee in the Midwest at $99, he said.
LaRose expressed concerns for proposed federal legislation to overhaul elections during a question and answer session with the audience.
He said H.R. 1, which was recently defeated in the Senate, and is now moving through Congress as H.R. 4, has less stringent requirements than are already in place in Ohio.
Additionally, the bill has some bad provisions that he feels would open up the states up to more litigation and election integrity issues.
Ben Vollrath, executive director of the chamber, told attendees that a recent feasibility study recommends that Logan County could support two hotels — one in Bellefontaine and one in the Indian Lake area.
Vollrath said some meetings have occurred to gauge investor interest in such projects, and additional ones would be forthcoming.
The chamber head also mentioned an employer tax credit now available that employers should take advantage of. The credit refunds payroll taxes directly to the employer and has already offered significant savings to several county businesses, including the chamber.