FBI raid of Ohio voting rights group stokes fear of pre-midterm crackdown

Agents seized phones and laptops of Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a group that does voter registration work The FBI raided the office of a voting rights group in Ohio on Thursday, prompting immediate concerns the Trump administration is cracking down on such organizations ahead of the midterm elections. FBI agents raided the Cleveland office of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a grassroots group that does voter registration work, said Prentiss Haney, a board member of the group. Agents seized computers and phones, he said, and also showed up at homes of people affiliated with the group throughout the state and interviewed them. “This raid is a full-on coordinated assault weaponizing the justice department and DHS against people who are fighting for working-class voters and Black voters to make sure they have access to the ballot,” Haney said in an interview. The agents appeared to be examining accusations of fraud relating to the 2024 election, Haney said, but it was not immediately clear what the specifics of the investigation were beyond that. The FBI’s office in Cleveland did not return a request for comment. Trump won the popular vote in Ohio in 2024, delivering him 17 elect