1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I write as a Westerville resident and concerned Ohioan advocating for stronger, proactive election integrity measures. While Ohio law (ORC § 3505.331) mandates post-certification audits, those occur after vote tallies are public, potentially undermining confidence in election accuracy. Proposal: 1. Pre‑reporting independent audits — Establish bipartisan hand-count panels formed by random selection from local voters, conducted before any county or statewide results are released. 2. Statistical sampling requirement — Audit a representative portion of ballots (e.g., 1–5%) from each precinct. If discrepancies exceed a defined threshold (e.g., 0.5%), escalate to a full hand count. 3. Transparent safeguards — Ensure open observation, secure chain-of-custody, and public documentation throughout the audit. 4. State oversight — Task the Secretary of State’s office with standardizing procedures and ensuring compliance across counties. 5. Legal reinforcement — Prohibit any county or state results from being released until the pre‑reporting audit is completed and certified. This model shifts Ohio from reactive to preventive integrity checks—bolstering public trust and avoiding premature narratives regarding election outcomes. As your constituent in District 4 (House) and District 16 (Senate), I urge you to sponsor or support this legislation. Westerville citizens deserve a transparent, verifiable election process that speaks volumes before the headlines. I’m ready to collaborate—through research, community outreach, or testimony—to help move this forward. Thank you for your leadership and commitment to democracy in our state.