Frank LaRose

Working to create a thriving democracy and prospering economy for all Ohio families

• SECURING OUR ELECTIONS...

Immediately after taking office in 2019, Frank LaRose set about strengthening Ohio’s elections. He spearheaded legislation that created the nation’s first civilian “Cyber Reserve” to respond to cyber-attacks against government, infrastructure, and businesses. He oversaw a comprehensive upgrade of elections infrastructure to protect against malicious actors, and he worked across party lines to combat foreign disinformation campaigns. These efforts have been hailed by experts as a model for other states and have garnered national recognition such as the prestigious SANS Difference Maker Award.

The work to protect our elections paid off. When other states stumbled, Ohio got it right. Under Frank LaRose, Ohio has taken new steps to maintain the accuracy of voter rolls, count every legal ballot, and audit results so voters can be confident in the outcome of our elections.

• …AND MAKING THEM ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERY ELIGIBLE VOTER.

In 2020, during the most challenging election in our nation’s history, and with the partnership of hundreds of bipartisan election officials, Ohio set record after record and conducted its most successful election ever. Under his leadership, the state developed a nationally recognized 61-point health guidance checklist, and worked with generous private sector companies to obtain the needed protective equipment and supplies to keep voters and election workers safe. He developed innovative partnerships to recruit and train a record 53,981 poll workers – all of which helped ensure Ohio voters could cast their ballots safely and efficiently. Despite the pandemic, Ohio saw record turnout with increases in every single county.

Frank has also championed legislation to make voting more convenient, promote youth engagement in our democracy, and create new standards for reviewing and certifying election systems vendors.

• ADVOCATING FOR SMALL BUSINESS…

In addition to serving as Ohio’s Chief Elections Officer, the Secretary of State’s office is also the front door for new businesses. A passionate advocate for entrepreneurs, Frank has streamlined new business filing processes while cutting office expenses. Over the first two years of his term Ohio set consecutive records for new business creation.

Frank LaRose has continued to strengthen ties with the business community throughout his first term in office, from helping entrepreneurs kickstart their business to finding ways for businesses to better support their community. These efforts continue to grow Ohio’s reputation as a great home for businesses and the good-paying jobs they support.

• …AND PROTECTING WHAT MATTERS MOST.

As a veteran of the scouting program and the US Army, Frank LaRose understands the importance of protecting our fundamental rights and standing up for our values. During his time as a State Senator, he earned a 100% pro-life voting record and was a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. His advocacy for limited and efficient government earned him multiple “Watchdog of the Treasury” awards from the United Conservatives of Ohio.A passionate defender of freedom, LaRose has consistently fought against government meddling in the free market earning him recognition from the American Conservative Union.^[3]

Supporting Small Businesses
Frank knows that nearly 2 out of 3 new jobs are created by small businesses, and that’s why he has led the way to make Ohio a better place for small businesses to open, grow and succeed. In the senate, Frank authored legislation that eliminated outmoded, burdensome regulations and streamlined the relationship between state government and small business owners. His leadership helped to cut new business filing fees by 21%. As secretary of state, he will work to ensure that Ohio’s entrepreneurs are not slowed down by government red tape.

Modernizing Campaign Finance
Frank believes Ohio’s state and local campaign finance systems should be transparent, efficient and modern. He has led the way on eliminating antiquated requirements for municipal, county and local candidates when filing campaign finance information with county boards of elections and replacing them with reforms that deliver greater transparency and accountability. As secretary of state, he will continue to push for modernizing county-based campaign finance systems and increasing transparency in city, county and other local races.

Saving Tax Dollars
When Frank was first elected to the senate, Ohio faced an $8 billion structural shortfall in the state budget. Frank worked with his colleagues to balance the budget without raising taxes, and voted to kill the burdensome estate tax. The state’s rainy day fund, which had been depleted to $.89, now has over $2B in reserve to ensure that Ohio remains a stable home for businesses and families. And after losing nearly 400,000 jobs in the four years before Frank was elected, Ohioans have created over 450,000 jobs as a result of the policies that Frank has championed. As a fiscal conservative, Frank is a staunch advocate of frugal, smart and modern public administration. He has authored and cosponsored legislation to modernize government systems and enforce cost-efficiency in government operations. An example of his cost-saving, common sense approach is a bill he authored that would eliminate primary elections when only one candidate appears on the ballot. This measure will prevent taxpayers from paying for unnecessary elections, saving millions of dollars.

Protecting the Ballot Box
Frank is dedicated to making our voting process modern, fair, accurate and accountable. He is the author of legislation that created Ohio’s first online voter registration system. This new law requires the secretary of state to conduct a review of Ohio’s Voter Registration Database to identify non-citizens on our voter rolls. This new law has helped uncover hundreds of non-citizens who were registered to vote in Ohio, 82 who voted in at least one election in 2016. More secure than paper registration alone, this new online system immediately checks a voter’s eligibility prior to accepting the registration. The system crosschecks voter information with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ internal database to verify citizenship and other required information. As a result of Frank’s legislation, Ohio’s voter registration system is more convenient for voters, saves millions in taxpayer dollars and assists state and county elections officials keep more accurate records.^[3]