Democratic state representative Allison Russo and Republican Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague will be on the ballot this November. 

In November, Ohio voters will choose between Democratic candidate Allison Russo and Republican candidate Robert Sprague for the next Secretary of State. 

Russo, a current state representative, has served in the state House since 2019. From 2022 to 2025, she served as Ohio House Minority Leader. She served on the Ohio Redistricting Commission, where she opposed maps approved by the Republican majority. 

Russo voted for the maps in the state House after claiming she was threatened with worse maps by the GOP. She said she is prepared to “use the bully pulpit” of the Secretary of State’s Office to make changes and act as a “guardrail” against overreach from the state legislature or the president. 

On the topic of securing elections, Russo has argued that Ohio elections are already secure and that Republicans are attempting to suppress minority voters by ensuring that only Americans can vote in American elections. 

“Republicans love to bury restrictions for legal voters in these bills so that no one notices,” Russo said of Issue 2, a constitutional amendment to allow only American citizens to vote in Ohio elections that passed four years ago. “I will always stand up for the right of every eligible voter to have their voice heard and their vote counted in fair, free, and secure elections,” she said in a recent interview. 

Russo voted against Issue 2. 

“[Sprague] is an election denier who wants to make voting inconvenient for eligible voters so that his political cronies remain unaccountable to everyday Ohioans,” she added about her opponent. 

Republican candidate and Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague has focused his campaign efforts on securing Ohio elections. 

“My north star is to hold the most secure elections in the state of Ohio,” Sprague said in a statement. 

Sprague has pushed for universal voting machines with a secure paper trail for all votes and said the state system is strong. 

“Look, we’re commonsense Midwesterners. We want to have good elections, and the way that you have good elections is to have secure elections. And you want to have good systems and secure systems that people can trust,” Sprague said in a recent statement. 

“There’s a few things that you own as a state representative, and one of them is your vote. I don’t think [voting by noncitizens] should be up for debate,” he added, referencing Russo’s vote against Issue 2 in the state legislature. 

Sprague has voiced his support for election security measures, including required photo ID to vote both in-person and by mail, as well as getting rid of ballot harvesting drop boxes. 

In November, Ohioans will also vote on Issue 3, which would add the photo ID requirement to the state constitution. 

“It’s not just about policy, it’s about permanence. You put the most important things in the state constitution, and this is incredibly important, and then it can’t be removed unless you have a vote of the people,” Sprague said. He believes Issue 3 will pass “overwhelmingly” in November. 

Election integrity has been a focus of Ohio voters in recent elections. In November, they will choose whether to have Russo or Sprague at the helm of the effort.