Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has joined State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) to introduce Senate Bill 71, new legislation that will boost election transparency through technology.

“The DATA Act is landmark legislation that will modernize and clarify the way Ohio defines and archives election records. It represents the first-ever substantive effort by any state to address the antiquated, disjointed methods of election data retention in more than 60 years, said Secretary Frank LaRose.

“This is another example of Ohio leading the way. It’s all about making sure that the public is empowered with accurate data so they can look at how elections are run and have confidence in knowing that when the election is over, that the true voice of the people was heard.”

“The DATA Act, in addition to the laws I wrote to require a photo ID to vote and, with the help of Secretary LaRose, enact some of the most stringent post-election auditing measures in the country, continues to give Ohioans the transparency and trust in their elections that they’ve demanded,” said Gavarone.

“I am excited to sponsor and work on the DATA Act with Secretary LaRose and interested parties from across the state who are intent on further cementing Ohio’s standing as a national example of how to run elections.”

The DATA Act is comprised of four themes: Data, Analysis, Transparency, and Archive.

DATA

States have generally failed to adopt consistent definitions of digital election data, leading to confusing and often conflicting auditing outcomes. The DATA Act codifies standard definitions of key election data points so post-election results can be analyzed more effectively and accurately.

ANALYSIS

The lack of clear election data definitions often complicates the process of auditing and analyzing results, therefore, allowing skeptics to question outcomes more effectively. The objective of this legislation is not only to define the data points, but also to create a centralized Office of Data Analytics and Archives within the Office of the Secretary of State that can serve as a clearinghouse for the retention and review of electronic election records.

TRANSPARENCY

Building trust in democracy begins with election transparency, and the DATA Act will make that goal more achievable by crowdsourcing and platforming election data for public scrutiny. The ultimate objective of the DATA Act is to use the newly created Office of Data Analytics and Archives to publish election data and results online, allowing for full transparency for results, both immediately following an election for auditing purposes and over time for comparative analysis year-over-year.

ARCHIVE

States not only lack consistent standards for defining election data, but they also lack clear methods and timelines for retaining such data. The DATA Act seeks to codify a process by which election data – local, state, and federal – must be transferred to the Secretary of State’s Office of Data Analytics and Archives for public disclosure.

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