'Gold Standard' and 'Most Secure Election' Narrative: Post-2020 Election Messaging

TRUTH IS, since 2020, election officials nationwide-starting with Colorado, and echoed by Ohio, Georgia, Arizona and others–have promoted their election systems as “gold standard” to build confidence in election integrity, while allowing noncitizens and other ineligible votes.  

TRUTH IS, the phrase “the 2020 election was the safest, most secure election in history” spread nationwide following a joint statement from CISA (part of DHS)/committees of Election Directors and Secretaries of States, issued to counter claims questioning the election’s accuracy.

Physical ID Protects Election Integrity Without Centralizing Control Through Digital IDs

Requiring a physical ID for every person to register and vote is the most reliable way to ensure that only eligible citizens participate in elections, consistent with Ohio’s Constitution.

By contrast, digital IDs should not be accepted for voter registration or voting.  They may not verify citizenship and introduce risks that physical IDs do not, because a digital ID can be remotely disabled, tracked, modified, or made mandatory across multiple systems. This could allow access to essential activities – such as voting, banking, employment, healthcare, shopping, travel, or online services—to be controlled through a single technological gate. For these reasons, election integrity advocates do not support the 136th General Assembly House Bill 78 Digital ID for Voting.

A physical ID, while already required for certain activities like driving, purchasing alcohol, opening a bank account, or flying, cannot be remotely shut off, does not rely on electricity or internet access, is not vulnerable to cyberattacks in the same way, and cannot centralize control over all aspects of daily life into one device or system.

Separately, businesses already have the ability to deny services or close accounts based on existing public or legally obtained information, such as credit history, criminal records where permitted by law, political party, or risk assessments. Voter ID requirements are independent of these decisions. Voter ID laws govern the eligibility to participate in elections, not a business’s authority to provide or withhold services, which is determined by separate legal, contractual, and regulatory frameworks. 

Pattern of Repeated Retaliation Against Ohio Citizens

Recent activity relating to this issue:

Seneca County Election Workers Demoted over Petition Support

Several election workers in Seneca County were demoted from their roles as Voting Location Managers after publicly supporting a petition to replace voting machines with hand-counted paper ballots. In August 2025, the Board of Elections initially barred anyone involved in the petition from serving in leadership roles at polling places.

The move sparked public backlash, with residents and candidates arguing the decision violated First Amendment rights. Following a packed public meeting and growing pressure, at a September 2025 meeting, the Board of Elections reversed its decision and reinstated the affected workers.

Seneca County citizens aren't the only ones being retaliated against for speaking out about Ohio's fools gold elections systems:

Citizen Removed as Precinct Election Official in Wood County Nov 5, 2024

An experienced poll worker was removed from the Nov 2024 election due to filing lawful voter challenges with the BOE and sharing the results locally.  The BOE gave no legitimate reason why that disqualified the citizen  from serving as a poll worker. The citizen volunteered instead as a poll observer through a political party and reported a hostile environment. Though told by the BOE that the citizen is on the poll worker list for the Nov 2025 election, an assigned poll location has not been scheduled.  

Citizen Removed as Precinct Election Official in Fairfield County Nov 5, 2024  

A citizen was scheduled to work the polls Nov 5, 2024 as a Precinct Election Official (PEO) as in previous elections. The citizen questioned the lack of training regarding checking photo IDs for noncitizen designation according to a new SOS directive. Apparently, the BOE did not like the questioning, and without notice or due process, removed the citizen from working the polls Nov 5, 2024.  

Citizen Removed as Precinct Election Official in Knox County Nov 5, 2024

 A citizen scheduled to work as a Precinct Election Official (PEO) on Nov 5, 2024, raised concerns with the SOS about voting machines connecting to the internet and the BOE instructing PEOs not to check photo IDs for citizenship status - despite a SOS Directive. The citizen was accused of making a statement to the SOS that the citizen says did not happen. Without notice or due process, the citizen was removed from the PEO position Nov 5, 2024. The citizen was later reinstated for the May 2024 election, but the original accusation remains unresolved, and the citizen’s name has not been cleared.

Citizen Removed as Early Voting Observer in Muskingum County Oct 28, 2024

An individual was scheduled to serve as an Early Voting Observer for the Ohio Republican Party at the Muskingum County BOE on Oct. 28, 2024. She was later informed she could not serve in that role due to her membership in an organization allegedly involved in litigation against the BOE—yet the organization in question was not actually litigating against her BOE. Ironically, she was still welcome to observe at the polls on Nov 5 for the same BOE.

. . . and there are more. Stay tuned.