Sprague runs for Ohio secretary of state in Nov. 3 election

Robert Sprague, Ohio's state treasurer since 2019, is running as a Republican for secretary of state in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Democrat Allison Russo and Libertarian Tom Pruss. Mason and Deerfield Township voters will see the race on their ballots.

Sprague, a Findlay resident, said on his campaign website that he is running "to defend voters' rights and to run the most secure elections in Ohio history."

He has held elected office since 2004.

Candidate information

Party: Republican
Residence: Findlay, Ohio
Born: April 18, 1973, in Findlay
Family: Married to Amanda Sprague; five children
Education: High school diploma, Findlay High School; bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Duke University; master of business administration with an emphasis in finance, University of North Carolina

Experience and public service

Sprague served as Findlay city treasurer from 2004 to 2007 and Findlay city auditor from 2007 to 2011, according to BallotReady. He was appointed to Ohio House of Representatives District 83 in February 2011 to fill a vacancy created when Cliff Hite was appointed to the Ohio Senate, according to his Wikipedia biography. He won full terms in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

In the legislature, Sprague served on the House Finance and Financial Institutions Committees and the House Criminal Justice Committee. He chaired a House committee that traveled the state to gather information on the opioid crisis and led the House Finance Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.

Sprague has served as state treasurer since 2019. In the private sector, he worked as a management consultant at Ernst & Young and owned an investment firm, according to BallotReady. He also founded a consulting firm advising businesses internationally, according to his Wikipedia biography.

On Jan. 18, 2025, Sprague announced a run for governor, according to his Wikipedia biography. He withdrew on Feb. 5, 2025, choosing instead to run for secretary of state and endorsing Vivek Ramaswamy in the gubernatorial race.

On the issues

Election security: Sprague said on his campaign website that he would eliminate ballot drop boxes, calling them "outdated, unnecessary remnants from the Covid era" that are "vulnerable to ballot harvesting and fraud." He said Ohio would be a paper ballot state with a verifiable, auditable paper trail allowing voters to confirm their choices before tabulation. He also said he would work with the Trump administration to obtain federal citizenship data so boards of elections can verify citizenship status when individuals register to vote. He said he would require bipartisan panels of elections officials to review processes and chain-of-custody requirements after every election.

Voter roll maintenance: Sprague said he would work with credit bureaus and financial services companies to obtain real-time information to update voter registration rolls. He said he would file an annual report to the legislature detailing voter registration maintenance procedures.

Civics education: Sprague said his next step would be to partner with Vivek Ramaswamy to launch a civics education initiative focused on constitutional rights and civic responsibilities.

Economy and finance: As treasurer, Sprague said he would not make investment decisions based on environmental, social and governance factors, describing that position as consistent with the office's fiduciary responsibilities.

Treasurer initiatives: Sprague said he oversaw growth of the STABLE Account program, which provides savings and investment accounts for individuals with disabilities. He said participation more than doubled from January 2019 through December 2020. He also launched Family Forward, through which Ohioans seeking to adopt may qualify for reduced-interest loans up to $50,000, and ResultsOHIO, a program to evaluate pay-for-success efforts on public health and social issues.