Ohio deploys ‘Eva,’ a first-of-its-kind AI assistant for election officials
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has introduced Eva — the state’s first AI-powered election administration assistant — now live for county boards of elections statewide. The tool is designed to quickly answer procedural questions that previously required digging through a 524-page rulebook.
Eva joins a series of data tools launched during LaRose’s tenure, including real-time voter registration dashboards, voter roll integrity systems, early voting dashboards, and a modernized digital version of the Election Official Manual. The strategy positions technology as a backbone of election security and transparency.
Why it matters
Election administration is governed by detailed, highly technical rules. Eva gives local officials a way to surface those requirements instantly, offering concise summaries pulled solely from official state documents, not the open web. The goal: reduce bottlenecks, speed up routine decision-making, and improve consistency across counties.
How it works
Eva is trained only on the Ohio Election Official Manual and the state’s annual election calendar.
Officials type a prompt — “How do I conduct a post-election audit?” — and Eva returns the relevant passages with a short explanation.
The tool is available around the clock and remains in beta, meaning boards should confirm legal interpretations with their county prosecutor.
Its design mirrors commercial AI search tools but with a tightly controlled information set to protect accuracy and security.
What they’re saying
“She’s definitely a data nerd and a bit on the wonky side, but I’m not sure I’ve met someone who can answer a common question about election administration as quickly and effectively as Eva,” said Secretary LaRose.
“Seriously, this is a game-changer for our election officials. For decades, they’ve had to manually search a 524-page rulebook to find basic instructions on everything from managing the voter registration database to conducting a post-election audit. Eva can provide those answers immediately with a simple search prompt.”
The big picture
States are cautiously exploring AI in government operations, but elections remain one of the most sensitive domains. Ohio’s approach—confining Eva’s knowledge strictly to vetted state materials—offers a controlled test case for how AI can enhance, not override, official procedures.