Ohio congressional members say federal agents with the FBI and Homeland Security on June 11 searched the offices of Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a progressive nonprofit engaged in voter registration drives and social justice causes.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) didn’t confirm reports of a search at the organization or say whether investigators were considering charges against the group.
“Search warrants are authorized by a judge and anything said by any organization or others in the media is unfounded speculation, as the target of any investigation is not privy to the search warrant affidavit until after indictment,” a DOJ official told The Epoch Times.
Two of Ohio’s U.S. congressional representatives say the search was part of a voting fraud investigation.
Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) called the search a “diabolical abuse of power” in a video posed on X on June 13.
“[President Donald] Trump’s FBI raided Cleveland and sent federal agents across the state to harass Ohioans who did nothing more than help their neighbors register to vote,” Brown said. “This is a diabolical abuse of power ... Voter registration is not voter fraud. Urban communities voting is not voter fraud.”
Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) condemned what she called “federal overreach.”
“I am deeply concerned that the FBI has raided the Ohio Organizing Collaborative in Cleveland in an apparent effort to use federal law enforcement to intimidate community organizers and halt voter registration,” Sykes said in a statement posted on X on June 12. “This egregious federal overreach is another example of coordinated efforts to suppress voting rights and voter registration, and it amounts to an unprecedented attack on our democracy.”
Representatives with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative didn’t return requests for comment about the search on June 15.
In a statement to 3News in Ohio, the organization said, “For two decades Ohio Organizing Collaborative has worked to ensure that every Ohioan has a voice in our democracy. The organization is proud of its work, stands by its program and staff, and will not be deterred from carrying out its vital mission.”
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose formally referred 1,200 criminal cases to the DOJ last year for federal prosecution. Of those, 167 were noncitizens who allegedly cast a ballot in a federal election taking place in 2018 to 2024, his office reported.
He also referred 99 people who allegedly voted in two states in the same election; 16 who allegedly voted twice in Ohio in the same election; 14 who allegedly voted in a federal election after they died; four who were accused of ballot harvesting; and two people who allegedly registered at a residence where they were not entitled to register, according to LaRose’s office.
The secretary has also advocated against foreign funding in elections and supports proof of citizenship requirements in voter registrations.
After certifying elections in December 2024, LaRose and his family reported receiving and opening mail at his home that contained a powdery substance and a written threat after previously also receiving multiple personal threats of physical harm.
LaRose’s office didn’t return a request for comment about the Ohio Organizing Collaborative search.
