Ohio is asking voters to report screenshots when ChatGPT, Claude or Grok gives incorrect election information (AI-generated image)
The effort builds on Ohio’s use of its own AI assistant, the Election Virtual Assistant (EVA), which helps all 88 county boards of elections access information based on the state’s Election Official Manual and official election calendar. Last year, the Secretary of State’s office developed EVA, the Election Virtual Assistant, to help Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections quickly access accurate information grounded in the Election Official Manual and official election calendar. Announced by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose via an official press release, the initiative comes a week before the midterm elections and aims to help identify inaccurate answers and improve how AI platforms share official voting information.
“The office’s cybersecurity and technology teams are also working to ensure public information on the Secretary of State’s website is accessible to AI platforms while maintaining rigorous cybersecurity standards”, the release said. “As more people turn to AI for everyday information, we need to make sure Ohio’s voters know where the facts come from,” said Secretary LaRose. “AI is changing how people find information, and government needs to keep pace,” said LaRose. “Ohio is embracing innovation responsibly while making sure voters know that official election sources remain the gold standard.”
Ohio has asked its voters to report screenshots when AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok provide incorrect or misleading election information. Voters can send screenshots of the prompt, the full response and the platform used to the Secretary of State’s office. In the release, LaRose urged voters to verify details such as polling locations, voting hours and deadlines through official sources before acting on AI-generated answers. “AI can be an incredibly useful tool, but when it comes to elections, voters should always verify what they see with an official source. The initiative builds on Ohio’s responsible use of AI in election administration. Check the source. Information should be supported by official sources such as VoteOhio.gov, the Secretary of State’s office or a county board of elections. Verify before acting. Confirm voting dates, hours, polling locations, identification requirements and deadlines with an official election source.
“Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced an ongoing effort today to help ensure voters receive accurate election information when using artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and other generative AI chatbots.