7/28/2019 Deters and Husted Letter

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TheHonorableJosephDeters

HamiltonCountyProsecutor

WilliamHowardTaftLawCenter

230E.NinthStreet,Suite4000

Cincinnati,Ohio45202

TheHonorableJonHusted

SecretaryofState

StateofOhio

180E.BroadStreet

Columbus,Ohio43215

ViaemailandU.S.MailJune7,2013

DearMr.DetersandMr.Husted,

Inthematterbeforeyourofficesregardingtheinvestigationandpossibleprosecutionof36Hamilton

Countyvotersforelectionfraudforhavingsubmittedanabsenteeballotandaprovisionalballot,Iurge

youtorevisityouropinionofthestatutesandreconsiderpursuingcriminalcharges.Itappearsthat

thesevotersfollowedthedirectionofpollworkers,theadviceoftheHamiltonCountyBoardof

Electionsstaff

(even,

in

one

case,

acounty

commissioner),

and

Ohio

law.

Now,

eight

months

later,

they

arebeingharassedwithlegalthreatsforexercisingtheirrightstovote.

Noneoftheirvoteswerecountedtwice.Thecurrentlegalinvestigationsperpetuatetheideathatvoter

fraudiswidespread,whenitsnottrue.Ohiolawisclearlywrittentofairlyprotectagainstfraudandto

protectthevotingrightsofcitizens.

ThesecaseswerereferredtotheProsecutorsofficebytheBoardofElectionsunderanarrow

interpretationofthelaw.Sonarrow,infact,thatitdisregardedaspecificsectionofelectionlawthat

explicitlypermitsthecastingofaprovisionalballotafterhavingsubmittedanabsenteeballot;thelaw

spellsouthowonlyoneofthoseiscounted.Itappearsthatthese36voters,justlikehundredsof

thousandsofothercitizensofCincinnatiandHamiltonCounty,casttheirballotscorrectlyandlawfully.

Withsomuchofourelectionlawchangingandbeingchallenged,itismoreimportantthanevertobe

clearabouttheprocessofvoting.Weneedtoworktogethertogivecitizenstheconfidencethatthe

electionprocessisfairandaccessibletothosewhohavefollowedthelawandpredeterminedprocess.

Whencitizensareconfusedabouttheprocessofvotingtheyareintimidatedfromexercisingtheirfull

rightstovote,whicherodesconfidenceinandtheintegrityofourdemocracy.

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Therefore,IurgeyoutotakeanotherlookattheOhioRevisedCodeasyouareconsideringcontinuing

withtheinvestigationofcitizensthatfollowedboththelawandtheinstructionsthatelectionofficials,in

somecases,gavethem.

Sincerely,

ViceMayorRoxanneQualls