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Blaming a dead Ohio man is part of a disturbing anti-voting ploy.

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Blaming a dead Ohio man is part of a disturbing anti-voting ploy.

In turn, LaRose and Yost’s stunt proves that, with the exception of six exceptions, out of millions and millions of votes cast since at least 2008, only Americans vote in Ohio.

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| Columbus Dispatcher

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  • Ohio Attorney General Yost held a press conference two weeks before Election Day to announce that a whopping six legal noncitizens on Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s list of 600 names had been indicted.
  • The dead man was among those indicted on charges he voted on years ago.
  • The embarrassing actions of Yost and LaRose are part of a disturbing picture.

They hold two of the most nonpartisan positions in Ohio, but our influence-seeking Attorney General and Secretary of State are anything but when it comes to your voting rights.

Dave Yost and Frank LaRose are kicking ass in a witch hunt designed to further tarnish the reputation of a two-party election system that LaRose considered one of the most secure in the country before the contentious 2020 election.

Republicans and ardent supporters of Donald Trump with higher political aspirations attempted to prosecute a dead Cleveland man for illegally voting in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 elections.

Their failure was more than shameful. This was an improper attempt to intimidate voters.

Don’t let this and other antics—LaRose’s recent rules prohibiting people from leaving absentee ballots in drop boxes for relatives and people with disabilities—prevent you or those you love from exercising your legal right to vote.

Democracy depends on your participation.

Stalking beyond the grave

The six indictments attracted national attention, and the list of headlines included “Six Non-Citizens Charged for Alleged Voting in Ohio (Something Democrats STILL Insist Never Happened)” from The Federalist and “Ohio Grand Jury Charges Six Non-Citizens with Alleged Illegal Voting in Ohio.” past elections” from Fox News.

It was a reckless move by Yost, who has been unofficially running for governor for several years.

Two weeks before Election Day, Yost appeared to call a press conference at which he announced that this was his own October surprise. colossal Six legal noncitizens from the list of 600 names LaRose previously submitted were charged with voting in the last election without U.S. citizenship.

To be clear, only legal American citizens should be able to vote.

In turn, LaRose and Yost’s stunt proves that, with the exception of six exceptions, out of millions and millions of votes cast since at least 2008, only Americans vote in Ohio.

LaRose and Yost know this, despite their actions.

However, an exaggerated film-ready brouhaha emerged, although Yost himself admitted that such illegal voting “is not an issue here that has gotten out of hand.” In fact, it wasn’t even a drop in the water. The state is home to nearly 12 million residents, about 8 million of whom are registered to vote.

Three Franklin County residents, including a 78-year-old Columbus woman, and the late Ramesh Patel, a 68-year-old North Royalton resident, were among the six charged. Patel died in December 2022.

If he had not been dead, Patel would have been charged with a fourth-degree felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison.

If Yost’s goal was to reassure the public, then why was he so reckless about fourth-degree felony cases from years ago? The 35-year-old lawful permanent resident of Columbus allegedly voted illegally in 2008 and 2020.

Seeking indictments of crimes is one thing, but without even taking the step to confirm that all suspects are alive, why are people intentionally and needlessly drawn into the national circus that is the immigration debate?

Why hyperbolic poison?

“If you are not a US citizen, voting is illegal – whether you thought you were allowed to or not – you will be prosecuted,” Yost says in a press release.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley seems to see the hypocrisy.

“This is one of the greatest examples of prosecutorial abuse I have ever seen,” O’Malley said in a statement released to The Dispatch. “The practice of bringing charges against the deceased is draconian. We wouldn’t handle this case in my office.”

High interest in “immigrant” voting at the national level

This is not the first time Yost has seen immigrants in recent months.

After Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, made false claims that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Yost spread the debunked claims on social media and “directed his office to explore legal options,” to stop the federal government from sending unlimited numbers of migrants into Ohio communities.”

That said, Yost is not the only one to attack so-called illegal voters, nor is he the worst.

The League of United Latino Citizens in August accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of using his election integrity division to target Latino election activists in an attempt to suppress voting rights.

“It is clear from his (Paxton’s) lawsuits, raids, searches and arrests that he is trying to keep Latinos from voting,” Roman Palomares, the league’s national president, said, according to USA TODAY.

Paxton sued the Biden administration on October 23, alleging the government failed to provide needed assistance in assessing the citizenship status of some registered Texas voters, Reuters reported.

LaRose filed a similar lawsuit, alleging that the Department of Homeland Security was illegally withholding citizenship records.

Get ready to vote

The episode involving six Ohioans is just the latest in an attempt to confuse voters and suppress votes.

It includes changes to ID requirements following Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud before and after the 2020 election.

LaRose and other members of the election commission manipulated ballot language for the 2023 Reproductive Health Amendment and Citizens Not Politicians Redistricting Amendment, No. 1 on the Nov. 5 ballot.

These tactics should not prevent you from participating in elections.

Your voice matters. LaRose and Yost wouldn’t work so hard to intimidate you if that weren’t the case.

This editorial was written by Dispatch Opinion and Community Engagement Editor Amelia Robinson on behalf of The Columbus Dispatch Editorial Board.. Editorials provide fact-based assessments of issues important to the communities we serve. This is not the opinion of our staff, who strive to be neutral in their reporting.