In 2023 and 2024, Rouse was employed by Texas firm Advanced Micro Targeting to collect valid signatures from registered voters in Warren County.
Rouse was tasked with obtaining valid signatures from registered voters in Warren County. However, in July 2024, a review of 226 signatures submitted by Rouse to the Warren County Board of Elections, determined that numerous signatures were forged.
Warren County Elections Director Brian Sleeth said the petition was for the statewide redistricting issue rejected by Ohio voters in November 2024.
In July 2024, a review of 226 signatures submitted by Rouse to the Warren County Board of Elections found that numerous signatures did not match those on file, and when contacted, the local voters said they did not sign the petition, Sleeth said. This led the agency to contact the Lebanon Police Department to investigate.
“Election integrity matters at every stage of the process, not just on Election Day,” Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell stated in a release following Rouse’s conviction. “As the former chair of the Warren County Board of Elections, I take falsification of petition signatures very seriously because it is a direct attack on the democratic process and the public’s trust in it.”
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