Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose handed down a sixth statewide “election security directive,” giving updated protocols for preparing and safeguarding Ohio’s voting infrastructure to 88 county boards of elections.
The seven-page directive, issued when election integrity and security remain issues of focus nationwide, noted that “threats change daily, and therefore, our work is ongoing.” According to the directive, it “reinforces critical security requirements from past directives.”
In the directive, LaRose noted that his office previously used federal Help America Vote Act funding for the efforts. However, LaRose said he asked Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and state lawmakers to increase the General Revenue Fund spending for the initiative in the 2026-27 biennial operating budget lawmakers are currently considering.
If approved, LaRose said his office plans to fund up to $10,000 for each county board of elections that needs help implementing this security directive. The money could be available to boards by mid-July.
“Threats change daily, and we’re constantly adapting our protocols to stay ahead of the bad guys,” LaRose said in a statement. “We’ve positioned Ohio as the national leader on election integrity, and this new directive demonstrates our ongoing commitment to safeguarding our voting equipment and the systems that support it.
“Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly relentless and effective,” LaRose added. “Every day, we see reports of public and private systems being compromised, and we have to stay vigilant. The work our security teams are doing is making a real difference, and this updated guidance should reassure voters that we take seriously our duty to keep Ohio’s elections accurate, accountable and secure.”
LaRose said he is the first Ohio secretary of state to implement “aggressive security standards” for the Buckeye State’s 88 county elections boards. The office said each directive builds on previous enhancements to match the “evolving threat landscape.”
Under the plan, boards must configure firewalls, networks, and vulnerability assessment tools and equipment in line with approved security updates and complete monthly cybersecurity checklists to confirm they are protected from malicious threats. They would also need to comply with “enhanced physical security requirements,” such as storing equipment properly, implementing video surveillance, and establishing protocols that ensure bipartisan access.
The local election boards would also need to conduct a county-specific security audit headed by the secretary of state’s chief information security officer and the office’s cybersecurity team. LaRose’s office said the cybersecurity team is the nation's first full-time unit of its kind.
Cybersecurity validations and requirements must be finished by Aug. 29.
Ahead of the May 6 statewide election, LaRose called for a probe into a voter check-in tablet that appeared to function improperly, thereby violating equipment security standards.
During the election, Ohio voters approved Issue 2 on May 6, a constitutional amendment to raise billions of dollars for the State Capital Improvement Program. Voters must approve the state’s authority to issue the bonds every decade.
Following an initial inquiry, the Secretary of State’s Election Integrity Unit and cybersecurity team did not find evidence indicating malicious intrusion or compromise of electronic poll books, which the U.S. Election Assistance Commission defines as “laptops, tablets, or kiosks designed to replace paper poll lists, that access digital voter registration records for their representative jurisdiction.”
However, non-compliant configurations and storage protocols necessitating corrections to ensure full compliance were identified before the November general election. Those remedial actions are also included in the sixth security directive.
Last month, Allen County Board of Elections officials said that an audit of the May 6 election showed no inaccuracies, LimaOhio.com reported.
“We were done in about a half hour,” the site quoted Board Director Morgan Bode.
