MS NOW: FBI Conducts Statewide Raids in Ohio to Intimidate Voter Registration Groups

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 12, 2026

Washington, DC—MS NOW is reporting today that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Trump loyalist Kash Patel, conducted a series of statewide raids yesterday on established, non-partisan Ohio voter registration groups. The raids were conducted at offices and homes of individuals, searching for evidence that they committed some sort of crime in 2024. In some cases, agents approached individuals without warrants.

This raid fits a broader pattern of the Trump Administration’s willingness to use law enforcement and other levers of power to intimidate their political opponents. This is a glaring example of the Administration’s willingness to use these tools to interfere with elections and intimidate groups that help facilitate voting throughout the country.

Ohio is one of the most hotly-contested states in the 2026 midterms for both Governor and Senate elections.

From the MS NOW report:

Prentiss Haney, a board member of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, told MS NOW Thursday night that agents approached people with connections to the group, including some who had performed basic canvassing and volunteer work, and pressed them for information.

Agents were “basically trying to fish for information,” Haney said.

They had agents all across the state going to civil rights leaders’ and community leaders’ doors intimidating them, coming and demanding that they talk about literally anything they would ask,” Haney said, adding that agents “asked them if they’re committing voter fraud, just on their doors, in front of their houses with their children, and just following them to work and school.”

Some of the people said the agents approached without warrants, according to Haney.

“Just straight-up intimidation tactics,” he said.

Read more below.

MSNow: FBI raids Ohio voting rights organization

FBI agents on Thursday raided the Cleveland offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a pro-democracy organization that helps register voters in that state, three people briefed on the search told MS NOW.

Agents also fanned out across the state, showing up at the homes of the group’s leaders and staff members, carrying some subpoenas and seeking information and electronic devices, according to the three people briefed, two of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive ongoing investigation. Members of the group contacted lawyers on Thursday to determine their legal options, the people said.

Prentiss Haney, a board member of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, told MS NOW Thursday night that agents approached people with connections to the group, including some who had performed basic canvassing and volunteer work, and pressed them for information.

Agents were “basically trying to fish for information,” Haney said.

“They had agents all across the state going to civil rights leaders’ and community leaders’ doors intimidating them, coming and demanding that they talk about literally anything they would ask,” Haney said, adding that agents “asked them if they’re committing voter fraud, just on their doors, in front of their houses with their children, and just following them to work and school.”

Some of the people said the agents approached without warrants, according to Haney.

“Just straight-up intimidation tactics,” he said.

Spokespeople for the FBI and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Thursday night.

The sources briefed on the search said they are concerned this new effort in Ohio is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to sow doubt and distrust in voting integrity in key swing states ahead of the midterm elections.

Federal agents have in recent months launched inquiries and investigations into voting protocols in Georgia and Wisconsin, have subpoenaed voting records in Arizona and have sought reviews of voting machines in Puerto Rico.

According to its website, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative facilitates statewide voter registration through grassroots, community-led programs, including its Democracy Builders initiative. The group works in Ohio’s major metropolitan areas, such as Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, to help underrepresented communities register to vote, and provides other support.

The group has also joined lawsuits challenging redistricting efforts that it argues reduce Black voters’ representation. These lawsuits also challenge “stand your ground” laws that allow a person to shoot someone if they feel threatened.

Haney said the Cleveland raid and harassment of staff are unjustified and that investigators lack any evidence of wrongdoing.

“How can they distract and intimidate civil rights leaders and voters and community leaders who are helping people get registered to vote, and create a national spectacle about it?” he said.

“That is the only reason why they would choose to do that, do it now, in the middle of a contested political election in the state. There’s no other reason. They have no evidence of that.”