Trump FBI raids Ohio voter registration group in latest bid to suppress voting

The FBI raided the offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC), a pro-democracy organization that helps register voters and organizes political activities for Democratic and progressive causes in the state, MSNOW reports.

The bureau also searched the homes of OOC leaders and staff members. Agents appeared to be seeking information as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged voter fraud, though the bureau has in recent months opened similar investigations based on conspiracy theories.

The raids represent a major escalation in the Department of Justice’s attack on voting ahead of the midterm elections. They are also a continuation of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on pro-voting and progressive organizations.

The FBI did not immediately respond to Democracy Docket’s request for comment regarding the raids.

In a statement, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) slammed the raids, saying they appear “to be part of a systematic effort by Trump and Kash Patel’s FBI to attack our elections and perpetuate more myths of voter fraud.”

“I am deeply concerned that this is an effort to use federal law enforcement to intimidate and halt voter registration and organizing efforts. This is an unprecedented attack on democracy: these raids must end immediately,” Shontel Brown said.

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who is running against incumbent Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) in a close race in November, also denounced the raids in a statement, saying the FBI’s actions were “highly disturbing.”

“Federal law enforcement should never try to intimidate eligible voters from exercising their right to participate in democracy,” Sherrod Brown said.

Founded in 2007, OOC is a coalition of 18 progressive community group organizations with members in every major city across Ohio, which is expected to be a key swing state in the upcoming elections.

The Brennan Center for Justice, which has worked with OOC on pro-voting lawsuits in the past, said the raids appear “to be an outrageous fishing expedition, an attempt to intimidate people working for democracy in our communities and country.”

“It is an egregious abuse of law enforcement for political ends, and it fits a pattern of federal inquiries targeting voting infrastructure ahead of the midterm elections,” the center added.

Last year, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican who has pushed for new voting restrictions in the state, allegedly referred 1,200 criminal cases to the DOJ. At the time, he claimed that over 1,000 noncitizens had unlawfully registered to vote in the state, 167 of whom cast ballots in federal elections. 

After those referrals, LaRose gave the DOJ the state’s voter registration database, which included the sensitive voter data of nearly 8 million Ohioans. 

The DOJ previously sent Ohio a letter demanding access to its registration database as part of its nationwide effort to investigate and effectively control statewide voter registration lists. 

In addition to raising severe privacy concerns, the department’s effort is an unprecedented encroachment on states’ power to run elections and is just one part of the Trump administration’s campaign to interfere in future elections.