Candidate for Secretary of State
Robert Sprague
Republican
Robert Sprague, a Republican, has been Ohio Treasurer of State since 2019 and represented the Findlay area in the Ohio House from 2011 to 2018. His campaign centers on election security, including verifying citizenship before voter registration, requiring photo ID for mail ballots, eliminating ballot drop boxes, and a return toward primarily in-person voting.
- Current or most recent role
- Ohio Treasurer of State
- Hometown
- Findlay
- Campaign website
- spragueforohio.com
Why they say you should vote for them
The candidate's own case to voters, summarized from their campaign and public statements.
- Says his goal is to run the most secure elections in Ohio's history.[5]
- Says Ohio's bipartisan election system works but needs stronger protections.[5]
- Points to his record as treasurer, saying he invested taxpayer dollars wisely, cut waste and modernized systems.[1],[2]
- Cites his background in engineering and finance as real-world problem-solving experience.[1]
- Says he would work with the Trump administration to obtain federal citizenship data to verify voter registration applicants.[3]
Background
- Treasurer of State, State of Ohio · 2019–present[4]
- State Representative (District 83), Ohio House of Representatives · 2011–2018[4]
- City Auditor and Treasurer, City of Findlay[4],[5]
- Management consultant, Ernst & Young[4]
- Founder, Consulting firm[4]
Education
Where they stand
- Elections & DemocracySupports eliminating ballot drop boxes, saying Ohio's 30 days of early in-person voting make them unnecessary.[3],[6]
- Elections & DemocracySupports Issue 3 to place voter ID requirements in the state constitution, and would require photo ID for mail-in voting.[3],[5],[6]
- Elections & DemocracyOpposes same-day voter registration, citing a lack of verification, and supports verifying citizenship against government records before a person is registered.[3],[5],[6]
- Elections & DemocracyOn voter rolls, proposes an internal audit team, use of federal and credit-bureau data to update registrations, removal of records for noncitizens, former residents and deceased people, and an annual maintenance report to the legislature.[3]
- Elections & DemocracySays every voting machine should produce a verifiable paper record, and proposes bipartisan post-election reviews of chain-of-custody procedures.[3],[5]
- Elections & DemocracySupports making Election Day a state holiday to encourage in-person voting.[3],[6]
- Economy & JobsProposes an optional artificial intelligence tool to help newly registered businesses find public and private grants.[5]
Voting record
A selection of notable recorded votes. Not a complete record.
| Measure | Vote | Date |
|---|---|---|
| S.B. 5 (129th GA) – Public-employee collective bargaining Limited collective bargaining rights for public employees; repealed by voters through a November 2011 referendum. (Ohio House) | Yes[7] | Mar 30, 2011 |
| H.B. 194 (129th GA) – Election law changes Revised election procedures, including shortening the early voting period; repealed by the General Assembly in 2012. (Ohio House) | Yes[8] | Jun 29, 2011 |
| S.B. 238 (130th GA) – Early voting period Shortened the absentee/early voting period from 35 to 28 days, ending the overlap with the voter registration deadline. (Ohio House) | Yes[9] | Feb 19, 2014 |
| H.J.R. 12 (130th GA) – State legislative redistricting amendment Proposed a constitutional amendment creating the Ohio Redistricting Commission for General Assembly districts; approved by voters in November 2015. (Ohio House) | Yes[10] | Dec 17, 2014 |
| S.B. 63 (131st GA) – Online voter registration Created online voter registration in Ohio. (Ohio House) | Yes[11] | May 24, 2016 |
| S.J.R. 5 (132nd GA) – Congressional redistricting amendment Proposed a constitutional amendment changing how congressional districts are drawn; approved by voters in May 2018. (Ohio House) | Yes[12] | Feb 6, 2018 |
In their words
“run the most secure elections in the history of the state of Ohio”
“They don't solve a problem for election security in the state of Ohio.”
“It's the keystone of the security of the election system”
Sources
- Sprague for Ohio (home page), Sprague for Ohio
- Robert's Story, Sprague for Ohio
- Secure Ohio Elections, Sprague for Ohio
- Robert Sprague, Ballotpedia
- Who's running for Ohio secretary of state? What to know about the 2026 candidates, NBC4 (WCMH), via Yahoo News, September 30, 2026
- Ohio secretary of state candidates split on drop boxes, voter ID at Columbus conference, 10TV (WBNS), via Yahoo News, June 9, 2026
- Senate Bill 5 Votes | 129th General Assembly, Ohio Legislature
- House Bill 194 Votes | 129th General Assembly, Ohio Legislature
- Senate Bill 238 Votes | 130th General Assembly, Ohio Legislature
- House Joint Resolution 12 Votes | 130th General Assembly, Ohio Legislature
- Senate Bill 63 Votes | 131st General Assembly, Ohio Legislature
- Senate Joint Resolution 5 Votes | 132nd General Assembly, Ohio Legislature
Photo: Official portrait, Ohio Treasurer of State (Government-issued official portrait).
Last reviewed October 9, 2026. Spot an error or something missing? Report a correction.
Also running for Secretary of State
- Tom Pruss (Libertarian)
- Allison Russo (Democratic)