Ohio's Secretary of State race: Here's everything you need to know
Ohioans will elect a new Secretary of State in November. Current Secretary of State Jon Husted is running as lieutenant governor on Mike DeWine's ticket. He's held the office since 2011.
All of Ohio's executive branch positions (governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor of state, and treasurer of state) are elected every four years. Currently all are held by Republicans.
Who are the candidates?
Frank LaRose, R: LaRose, a 39-year-old from Hudson, has been a state senator since 2011.
The army veteran is the chair of the Ohio Senate Transportation, Commerce and Workforce Committee, and previously was chair of the State and Local Government Committee and Public Safety, Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee.
Kathleen Clyde, D: Clyde, a 39-year-old state representative from Kent, has been in the Ohio House since 2011. She was deputy legal counsel for Ohio Speaker of the House Armond Budish, and she worked on election issues with the Election Law center at Ohio State and the Ohio Secretary of State’s office while a law student.
Dustin Nanna, L: The 24-year-old Nanna lives in his hometown Deleware, where he is a personal care professional and sits on the city's steering committee. He was Central Ohio's regional coordinator for the 2016 presidential campaign of Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, is currently vice chair for the Libertarian Party of Ohio and previously the LPO communications director.
What does the Secretary of state do?
The secretary of state manages Ohio elections and businesses. They are in charge of voting records and registration and ensuring safe and fair voting. The office is also the entry point for new Ohio businesses, all of which have to fill out forms with the Ohio Secretary of State before becoming a registered business.
Salary: $109,962
Term: 4 years, 8 year term limit
What are the main issues?
LaRose: LaRose said the main issues he's focused on are making it easy and welcoming for new businesses to open in Ohio, and making sure that elections are safe and fair.
LaRose addressed what he called "hyperbole" on both sides of the aisle, saying that neither widespread voter fraud or voter suppression exist in Ohio.
"The fact is, both are serious, but over-stating either one of them only undermines the credibility of our system of government," LaRose said. "It makes average Ohioans think 'my vote's not going to count,' and it makes people less likely to want to participate."
LaRose said he would prevent fraud without inconveniencing Ohioans by making sure there is an accurate list of voters at all times.
Clyde: Clyde said that she wants to secure Ohio elections and make it easier for new businesses to start in Ohio.
"I would close secret money loopholes and ban foreign money from our elections, and finally, I want to work to stop partisan gerrymandering and in our state," Clyde said.
She said that as a state representative she has been a strong advocate for redistricting reform and for voter's rights, and wants to make the state's political system more open and transparent.
Clyde also mentioned Husted's record of aggressive voter purging, and said that while voters who die or move out of state should be purged, she would stop Husted's current policy.
"There's no reason to purge eligible voters, just because they miss a few elections," Clyde said.
Nanna: Nanna said he would prioritize enacting an automatic voter registration to make the system easier for prospective voters.
"[This means] anytime you give the state of Ohio enough information to register you to vote, they would just do that automatically instead of having a separate process," he said.
Additionally, Nanna said he wants to bring government petitioning into the digital age by allowing petitions online.
"I think petitioning online or on your phone — as long as we can find a way to verify that you are who you say you are — is a good idea and could save us paper or things like that," he said.
He would also use the redistricting seat to end gerrymandering.
More Information
LaRose: Website, Twitter and Facebook.