'I want to have a voice': Concerns over letter threatening jail time for voter registration in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said he would move forward with an investigation into what he called voter fraud after his team claimed to have evidence of noncitizens registering to vote in the state.

LaRose said 138 people apparently voted in an Ohio election without having the necessary citizenship.

10TV spoke to an Otterbein professor who felt insulted by the language used in a letter from the Secretary of State's office questioning his citizenship.

Nicholas Ross has lived in the USA for 28 years. He came to the USA on a student visa, met his wife there and married her in 2000.

Ross has had a green card ever since. This year he decided it was time to become a US citizen.

“I have two sons. I thought I would stay in the United States, I've been thinking about becoming a U.S. citizen for a long time. Voting is important to me, so I decided it was time,” Ross said.

At his naturalization ceremony in May, Ross registered to vote.

“I wanted to stay in this country. I'm retiring here. My wife and children are U.S. citizens. I felt that voting was important and that I could get more involved this way,” he said.

In July, he received a letter from LaRose's office about his voter registration.

“I received this letter three weeks after becoming a U.S. citizen. It said I had been flagged as suspect, that my voter registration was considered suspect, and that this was a crime. It said I might face criminal prosecution,” Ross said.

Ross immediately sent the letter back to LaRose's office to confirm his citizenship.

“No American citizen wants to receive a letter saying they may have broken the law and face prosecution, even though they know they did everything right,” Ross said.

Ross is eligible to vote, but he did not immediately update his driver's license with the BMV to show his citizenship status, so the Secretary of State's office suspended his voter registration.

On Wednesday, 10TV conveyed Ross' concerns to LaRose.

10TV told him Ross' story and explained how insulted he was by the language of the letter, which threatened or suggested a prison sentence.

“First of all, we don't want to offend anyone. But I will do my duty, and if someone has sensitive feelings, I have to do my job as Ohio Secretary of State,” LaRose said.

LaRose said he supports a bill called the Save Act that would simplify the citizenship verification process.

“As a state election official, I have to get that data from the federal government, and they're making it extremely difficult for me. That's actually why I'm a big supporter of a bill called the Save Act, introduced by Chip Roy of Texas, that would greatly simplify the citizenship verification process. Right now, it's a no-brainer to get the federal government to give us that data, and the last thing I want to do is inconvenience, insult, or hurt the feelings of someone I have to write a letter to,” LaRose said.

Ultimately, Ross will be able to vote in the November election; he says he is looking forward to it.

“I'm really looking forward to voting. My family will tell you I have strong opinions on politics, so it's important to me and I want to have a say,” Ross said.

The voter registration deadline in Ohio is October 7. Click here to register to vote.

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