(THE CENTER SQUARE) – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose plans to create a division of public integrity before the November general election to help counter what he calls a “crisis of confidence” among American voters.

The division – which will contain investigation sections for election administration, campaign finance and business services – launches Monday, a day before the final day Ohioans can register to vote and two days before the Oct. 12 beginning of early voting for the general election, LaRose announced Wednesday morning.

It consolidates several of the office’s current investigative functions, including campaign finance reporting, voting system certification, voter list maintenance, cybersecurity protocols, and election law violations, LaRose said.

The change consolidates existing efforts in the office spread out among several divisions, and LaRose said he plans to expand resources dedicated to investigations and work more closely with the Ohio attorney general’s office and the state’s 88 county prosecutors.