Secure Your Ballot

Verify the following to be sure your ballot is secure

Even if you are a regular voter and your information has been accurate in the past, please check again to make sure your ballot is secure. With increased use of mail-in ballots comes vastly increased risk of fraud. Please check the accuracy of the following items by mid-September and again in mid-October to be certain your voter registration has not been changed without your knowledge.

• Am I registered to vote in my county?
• Are my name and address correct?
• Has an Absentee Ballot been requested or returned in my name?
• Who else is registered to vote at my address? (You might be surprised!)

If you find any inconsistencies, alert your Board of Elections office immediately.

How to check

Call the Geauga County Board of Elections (440) 279-2030
Outside Geauga County: Contact your local county Board of Elections office
OR
Go to www.boe.ohio.gov/geauga/ and follow the instructions below

Why is this necessary?

Have you heard the recent reports of fraudulent change of address forms being submitted to the Hamilton County, Ohio Board of Elections? (Read: ‘This Is Fraud’: Ohio Investigators Looking Into Suspect Voter Registrations Tied To Left-Wing Firm and Black Fork Strategies Caught Submitting Falsified Voter Registrations in Ohio) Voters in Hamilton County realized forms had been submitted – not by them – to change their official voter registration address. If they had not caught this, absentee ballots could have been sent to their new (incorrect) address and filled out without their knowledge.

Sadly, if a voter shows up to vote and is told their absentee ballot has already been received, their only option is vote a provisional ballot. Unfortunately, in Ohio if an absentee ballot and a provisional ballot are both filled out, the absentee ballot will be counted and the provisional ballot will be discarded.

The situation in Hamilton County was not an isolated mistake, but allegedly part of an organized effort by a company called Black Fork Strategies. The Board of Elections displayed a thick stack of address change forms that had been submitted, all with the same handwriting, by an employee of Black Fork Strategies. The matter has been referred to the Secretary of State for review.

In the meantime, what can you do to make sure your right to vote is still intact? Follow the steps outlined above. Please be sure to check throughout absentee ballot season to make sure no unauthorized changes have been made.