Allison Russo, a Democratic state representative from Upper Arlington, is running for Ohio secretary of state in the Nov. 3 general election. She faces Republican Robert Sprague and Libertarian Tom Pruss.

Asked why she is running, Russo said in our candidate questionnaire: "I'm running because no office is more critical to protecting Ohioans' power to hold their government accountable than Secretary of State." She added: "As Secretary of State, I'll be relentlessly pro-voter. I'll ensure every eligible voter has the information and tools they need to make their voice heard."

Candidate information

Party: Democrat

Residence: Upper Arlington, Ohio

Family: "I have been married to my husband Brian, a US Air Force veteran, for 26 years. We have three children and live in Upper Arlington."

Education: "I hold a Doctor of Public Health in Health Policy from the George Washington University and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham."

Occupation: "Before being elected to the Ohio Statehouse, I spent more than 20 years working on issues related to public health policy, advising federal agencies, health systems, and policymakers on how to improve systems and access to care among our most vulnerable populations. I continue to do this work in a limited capacity while I serve as a State Legislator."

Experience and public service

Russo represents Ohio House District 7. The district includes Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and portions of Columbus. She said in our questionnaire: "I was elected by my colleagues to serve as the Ohio House Minority Leader, where I led the House Democratic Caucus for nearly four years before stepping back to run for Secretary of State."

She also served on the Ohio Redistricting Commission and ran as the Democratic candidate in the 2021 special election for Ohio's 15th Congressional District.

On the issues

Differences from opponents: Russo said in our questionnaire: "I'm running to be a fair, independent, and unbiased arbiter of Ohio's elections—a guardrail against political pressure, not a rubber stamp for it. The contrast with my opponent is clear. He has embraced fringe claims about election fraud, called for eliminating ballot drop boxes, and backed making it harder for eligible Ohioans to vote by mail."

Ballot language and redistricting: "The Secretary of State should be a fair, impartial arbiter of Ohio's increasingly partisan election processes. Ballot language should be accurate, clear, and as unbiased as possible. As chair of the Ballot Board, the Secretary of State must ensure transparency about how and why ballot language is changed from the language originally approved for petition circulation."

On the redistricting commission, Russo said: "If Ohioans pursue a citizen-led ballot initiative to reform the redistricting process and reduce politicians' role in drawing district maps, I will ensure they receive a fair opportunity to present their proposal to voters, provided they meet all constitutional and statutory requirements."

Drop boxes: "Ohioans deserve convenient, secure access to the ballot, and ballot drop boxes are a safe, proven way to make voting more accessible. Ohio already has strong safeguards in place. Drop boxes must be monitored by video surveillance around the clock, with footage available as a public record."

Issue 3 (photo ID): "Issue 3 is a political stunt—not a solution to a problem Ohio voters face. Ohio already has photo ID requirements and some of the strictest ID rules in the country." Russo said Ohio needs "election policies that protect both security and access … not more partisan political stunts."

Qualifications: "Serving on the Ohio Redistricting Commission gave me a front-row seat to our broken redistricting process. In 2024, I advocated for citizen-led redistricting so an independent commission—not politicians—would draw our districts."

Early voting is already underway across Ohio.