OHIO — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced the launch of a new digital dashboard for Ohioans during early voting.

The dashboard aims to enhance the analysis of voting trends and statistics. LaRose stated that they are collaborating with county boards of elections to develop a data reporting infrastructure that will provide daily trends related to voting behavior. They plan to add new dashboards that will highlight voter registration trends and election history.

“Elections are under a microscope like never before, and transparency is essential to the accountability of our elections,” said LaRose.

The newly launched dashboard focuses on absentee and early voting statistics, offering data at both the statewide and county-specific levels. Ohioans can use the resource to monitor various voting methods, including in-person voting, voting by mail and voting through drop boxes.

LaRose said this is a beta project that it is still a work in progress. He expects the need for extra time to understand the reporting requirements with each county in order to maintain consistency, but wanted to make the resource available for people to try. He said his office will continue to identify and resolve any anomalies and discrepancies. 

Previously, the data was accessible at the county level, but the new resource provides a centralized platform for easier access.

LaRose collaborated with State Senator Theresa Gavarone to advocate for the DATA Act, which is the first state effort for uniform election records. The legislation mandates the establishment of a full-time Office of Data Analytics and Archives by the secretary of state. The office will publish election data online for auditing and comparative analysis.