Though an election law expert says Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose technically did not break the law, a letter LaRose sent out recently has some voters confused.

“This letter could be seen as, ‘That sort of looks sketchy,’ and maybe it’s an unfair advantage here, but isn’t really illegal,” Atiba Ellis, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, told the Ohio Capital Journal.

Perhaps LaRose’s campaign should steer a little further away from “isn’t really illegal.”

The letter in question included a return address that said “Secretary of State Frank LaRose,” and beneath that, “DO NOT DISCARD OR DESTROY.” It also included “REGISTERED DOCUMENT ENCLOSED.” One voter told the Capital Journal he was worried the letter had something to do with his voter registration. Instead he found inside a voter poll and request for money for LaRose’s impending campaign.

“I’ve been horrified by it and thinking that LaRose is using his office in this way, taking advantage of his position,” Bill Joiner said. “It was an attempt to mislead me.”

According to Ellis, the letter was technically legal because it included fine print that said it was a collaboration between LaRose and the Leadership for Ohio Fund, a 527 political group. That collaboration is legal because LaRose has not actually declared his candidacy yet, though he is widely expected to run for U.S. Senate in 2024. That run would be greatly aided by those who bought in to the pitch in the letter: “Your gift of $50 … will help meet expenses like running ads to expose the Biden Democrats’ terrible record of woke socialism, identify swing voters who can be persuaded to vote for conservative Republican leaders up and down the ticket, and much more.”

To any thinking Ohioan, LaRose is campaigning out of his office. But according to the letter of the law, what he did is legal (for now).

Surely the knowledge voters were worried and confused by his mailing will be all the reminder needed that once his campaign is official, LaRose must keep his efforts as far above board as possible.