LaRose responds to FBI's election security announcement

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose released a statement on Twitter about the FBI's announcement that Russia and Iran made 'desperate attempts' to interfere with the election on November 3. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Russian and Iranian actors were able to access U.S. voter registration data. The investigation [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose released a statement on Twitter about the FBI's announcement that Russia and Iran made 'desperate attempts' to interfere with the election on November 3.

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Russian and Iranian actors were able to access U.S. voter registration data.

The investigation revealed the two countries, working separately, tried to use that data to undermine Americans' trust in the election and even intimidate Americans to vote for a certain candidate.

The investigation revealed Democratic voters in at least four battleground states, including Florida and Pennsylvania, have received threatening emails, falsely purporting to be from the far-right group Proud Boys, that warned “we will come after you” if the recipients didn’t vote for President Donald Trump.

“We have confirmed that some voter registration information has been obtained by Iran, and separately, by Russia,” Ratcliffe said. “We have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump.”

LaRose responded by saying Ohioans should know this breach of information did not affect Ohio, but regardless the secretary of state's office is working with its federal counterparts to monitor the situation.

"This is not the kind of thing we stand for. These are enemies of America that are trying to illegally interfere in our election," LaRose said. "In Ohio, our voter registration information is a public record. Nobody has to access it via a hacking operation or via the dark web."

"Ohioans should know that our state in many ways has led the nation in being proactive in protecting the cybersecurity of our election's administration," LaRose said. "We are constantly vigilant to protect the integrity of our elections."