Five States Have “Election Integrity Units.” Do the Results Justify the Cost?

Brian Beihl

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 15, 2023

The State of Florida arrests paroled felons who allegedly voted illegally, despite many having recent state-issued voter registration cards. Most were released.

Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
PBS – State GOP-backed ‘election integrity’ units find few voter fraud cases after midterms
Associated Press – Ohio elections chief announces new public integrity unit
OH SOS Office –  Election Integrity Division web page
News 5 Cleveland – Ohio Secretary of State creates Public Integrity Unit after touting integrity of 2020 election
Arizona Mirror – AG’s Office set to receive $500k for ‘election integrity’ investigators
Washington Post –  As more states create election integrity units, Arizona is a cautionary tale (paywall)
WGCU – Questions grow over Gov. DeSantis’ voter fraud arrests
Heritage Foundation – Database of Alleged Voter Fraud in FL (60 since 1992)
Florida Dept. of State –  PRESS RELEASE: Governor Ron DeSantis’ Framework for Freedom Budget Builds on Election Integrity and Boosts Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation
Associated Press – NAACP: ‘Scant’ info in records about Virginia election integrity unit
Virginia Mercury – Virginia AG announces 20-person ‘election integrity unit’
Virginia Mercury –  After $9.5K FOIA bill, NAACP releases records on Virginia’s election integrity unit
Election Law Society – Virginia’s New Election Integrity Unit and How It Can Learn from the Success, or Lack Thereof, of its Arizona Equivalent

Groups Taking Action:
Virginia NAACP, ACLU, Common Cause OH,  Protect Democracy

Today’s Script:  (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time) 

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Five states have implemented so-called “Election Integrity Units,” hiring criminal investigative teams in Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Georgia and Arizona. Other states are considering EIUs. It’s doubtful that the results justify the cost.

Last fall, Ohio’s Secretary of State announced the hiring of one or two investigators with subpoena power to investigate election crimes, though no taxpayer cost was estimated. Ohio had only referred only 75 cases of possible fraud from the 2020 elections – .001% – and only 16 from the midterms.

Arizona’s four-person election integrity unit, with a $530,000 dollar budget, found only 20 cases of potential voter fraud in a state with 4 million voters.

Last August, Florida’s EIU arrested several paroled felons as part of a crackdown on alleged illegal voting. Most were released after revelations that state departments had issued them official voter registration cards. Desantis doubled down, requesting 27 positions and $3.1 million dollars for the 2023-24 budget. Even the conservative Heritage Foundation database lists fewer than 60 voter fraud cases in Florida since 1992.

In Virginia, a recent FOIA request asked for documents on activities of an Election Integrity Unit formed in 2022 with a purported team of 20 attorneys and investigators. The state Attorney General’s office returned only “scant” documents, and the Virginia NAACP called the unit a “paper tiger.”

Articles and resources on EIUs can be found at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.