Federal court upholds Ohio access to citizenship verification system as state awards $1 million for poll workers

A federal court has upheld Ohio’s access to the federal government’s citizenship verification database while Secretary of State Frank LaRose separately announced $1 million in grants to help county boards of elections recruit and train poll workers ahead of the November general election.

The ruling restores Ohio’s access to key features of the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database after the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida ordered the Department of Homeland Security to comply with a settlement agreement reached with Ohio and other states. The court found the federal government was “plainly in violation of the settlement agreement” after previously disabling the SAVE system’s bulk-upload and Social Security number search functions following a federal court order in Washington, D.C. The Florida court ordered DHS to immediately restore those capabilities.

Ohio officials have argued the system helps verify whether registered voters are U.S. citizens and identify inaccuracies in the state’s voter rolls.

“This is a massive win for election integrity in Ohio,” LaRose said. “We helped lead a national effort to expand the use of the SAVE system so we can ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote in our state.”

LaRose said Ohio secured a 20-year settlement agreement with DHS guaranteeing continued access to the verification system and pledged to continue defending the state’s election integrity measures.

Separately, LaRose announced that the office will distribute $1 million to Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections to recruit and train nearly 40,000 precinct election officials before the November election. The funding will be distributed based on each county’s number of registered voters, with every county receiving at least $1,000.

“Poll workers are the backbone of Election Day operations,” LaRose said. “Their service ensures that every eligible voter can cast a ballot in a fair, secure, and orderly election.”

Under Directive 2026-25, county boards must recruit at least 15% more poll workers than the statutory minimum and are encouraged to build a reserve pool equal to 30% above the minimum staffing requirement to account for illnesses, cancellations and other Election Day staffing shortages.

The directive also requires all poll workers, including returning officials, to complete updated training before the November election. Required instruction includes Ohio’s voter photo identification law, provisional ballot procedures, polling place setup and closing procedures, election security, conflict de-escalation and polling place management.

County boards may use the grant money for recruitment advertising, training facilities, instructors, contractors and printed training materials.

The office will also provide updated training materials, a poll worker handbook, recruitment resources and access to the state’s online poll worker training system.

LaRose said investing in poll worker recruitment and training before Election Day will help county boards prepare for what could be a busy November election.

“Successful elections begin long before Election Day,” he said. “By investing in recruitment and training now, we are helping our counties build strong, prepared teams that can serve voters with confidence and professionalism.”

Ohio residents interested in serving as poll workers can contact their county board of elections or visit the Secretary of State’s poll worker recruitment program for more information.