Ohio’s secretary of state shows “cognitive dissonance” on election integrity – again

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is once again demonstrating that he operates not based on principles but on his loyalty to President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, say the hosts of the Today in Ohio podcast.

Tuesday’s episode took aim at LaRose’s recent announcement that Ohio is joining the EleXa Network, a system where states share voter data to combat fraud—nearly identical to the ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center) system LaRose abandoned after MAGA criticism.

“This was the case that — for anybody that wanted to see it — showed just how lily-livered LaRose is, that he doesn’t stand for anything,” said Chris Quinn. He noted how LaRose was full-throated in supporting ERIC “until all of a sudden ‚the MAGA folks said it’s bad. And then like you said, hot potatoes.”

Lisa Garvin explained that LaRose had previously championed ERIC as an essential tool for maintaining accurate voter rolls and preventing fraud. However, when conservative media outlets began claiming the system favored Democrats and undermined election integrity, LaRose abandoned it—only to now join a nearly identical system with a different name.

Quinn didn’t hesitate to predict LaRose’s future behavior: “And watch, if MAGA comes out and says, ‘Oh, we hate this system,’ he’ll immediately turn tail again. And it shows you everything. He doesn’t stand for anything except supporting MAGA and the Republicans.”

Garvin said LaRose’s decisions are part of his pattern on election integrity.

“He’s always trumpeted the integrity of Ohio’s election system. And then he turns around and said, ‘well, there’s fraud everywhere.’” She said. “This is like cognitive dissonance?”

Both Eric and EleXa allow states to share information on people who may be registered in multiple states or who have died, helping to keep voter rolls accurate and prevent people from voting twice. Ohio is joining with nine neighboring states, including Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Of course, as podcast hosts noted, voter fraud is extremely rare.

Listen to the episode here.

Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston.