Ohio Secretary of State election, 2026
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← 2022
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| Ohio Secretary of State |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: February 4, 2026 |
| Primary: May 5, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| Ohio executive elections |
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Ohio is holding an election for secretary of state on November 3, 2026. The primary is May 5, 2026. The filing deadline is February 4, 2026.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Ohio Secretary of State election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)
- Ohio Secretary of State election, 2026 (May 5 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State
Bryan Hambley and Allison Russo are running in the Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Bryan Hambley  | |
 | Allison Russo | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Ohio Secretary of State
Robert Sprague and Marcell Strbich are running in the Republican primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Robert Sprague | |
 | Marcell Strbich | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Ohio
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
- See also: Ohio Secretary of State election, 2022
General election
General election for Ohio Secretary of State
Incumbent Frank LaRose defeated Chelsea Clark and Terpsehore Maras in the general election for Ohio Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Frank LaRose (R) | 59.3 | 2,444,382 |
 | Chelsea Clark (D) | 39.7 | 1,635,824 | |
 | Terpsehore Maras (Independent) | 1.0 | 42,753 | |
| Total votes: 4,122,959 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State
Chelsea Clark advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chelsea Clark | 100.0 | 434,038 |
| Total votes: 434,038 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Ohio Secretary of State
Incumbent Frank LaRose defeated John Adams in the Republican primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Frank LaRose | 64.6 | 613,378 |
 | John Adams | 35.4 | 335,457 | |
| Total votes: 948,835 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Terpsehore Maras (R)
2018
- See also: Ohio Secretary of State election, 2018
General election
General election for Ohio Secretary of State
Frank LaRose defeated Kathleen Clyde and Dustin Nanna in the general election for Ohio Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Frank LaRose (R) | 50.7 | 2,210,356 |
 | Kathleen Clyde (D) | 47.0 | 2,049,944 | |
 | Dustin Nanna (L) | 2.4 | 103,392 | |
| Total votes: 4,363,692 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State
Kathleen Clyde advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathleen Clyde | 100.0 | 514,959 |
| Total votes: 514,959 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Ohio Secretary of State
Frank LaRose advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Frank LaRose | 100.0 | 606,697 |
| Total votes: 606,697 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dorothy Pelanda (R)
2014
- See also: Ohio secretary of state election, 2014
Republican Jon Husted won re-election on November 4, 2014.
| Secretary of State of Ohio, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jon Husted Incumbent |
59.8% | 1,811,020 | |
| Democratic | Nina Turner | 35.5% | 1,074,475 | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Knedler | 4.7% | 141,292 | |
| Total Votes | 3,026,787 | |||
| Election results via Ohio Secretary of State | ||||
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio's 1st | Greg Landsman | D+3 |
| Ohio's 2nd | David Taylor | R+24 |
| Ohio's 3rd | Joyce Beatty | D+21 |
| Ohio's 4th | Jim Jordan | R+18 |
| Ohio's 5th | Bob Latta | R+14 |
| Ohio's 6th | Michael Rulli | R+16 |
| Ohio's 7th | Max Miller | R+5 |
| Ohio's 8th | Warren Davidson | R+12 |
| Ohio's 9th | Marcy Kaptur | R+3 |
| Ohio's 10th | Mike Turner | R+3 |
| Ohio's 11th | Shontel Brown | D+28 |
| Ohio's 12th | Troy Balderson | R+16 |
| Ohio's 13th | Emilia Sykes | EVEN |
| Ohio's 14th | David Joyce | R+9 |
| Ohio's 15th | Mike Carey | R+4 |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris  |
Donald Trump  |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio's 1st | 47.5% | 51.6% |
| Ohio's 2nd | 29.5% | 69.8% |
| Ohio's 3rd | 69.1% | 30.2% |
| Ohio's 4th | 28.3% | 71.1% |
| Ohio's 5th | 37.9% | 61.3% |
| Ohio's 6th | 33.3% | 66.1% |
| Ohio's 7th | 43.9% | 55.3% |
| Ohio's 8th | 40.5% | 58.6% |
| Ohio's 9th | 44.0% | 54.5% |
| Ohio's 10th | 44.7% | 54.5% |
| Ohio's 11th | 76.8% | 22.7% |
| Ohio's 12th | 34.2% | 65.1% |
| Ohio's 13th | 51.1% | 48.2% |
| Ohio's 14th | 39.6% | 59.6% |
| Ohio's 15th | 44.4% | 54.7% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 53.4% of Ohioans lived in one of the state's 79 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 37.4% lived in one of 6 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Ohio was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Ohio following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Ohio county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 79 | 53.4% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 6 | 37.4% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 2 | 4.6% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 1 | 4.5% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 7 | 41.9% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 81 | 58.1% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Ohio presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 12 Democratic wins
- 19 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | R | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
- See also: List of United States Senators from Ohio
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Ohio.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Ohio
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Ohio.
- See also: Party control of Ohio state government
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Ohio's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Ohio | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Republican | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 15 | 17 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Ohio's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Richard Michael DeWine |
| Lieutenant Governor | Jim Tressel |
| Secretary of State | Frank LaRose |
| Attorney General | Dave Yost |
State legislature
Ohio State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 9 | |
| Republican Party | 24 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | |
Ohio House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 34 | |
| Republican Party | 65 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 99 | |
Trifecta control
Ohio Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-seven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
The table below details demographic data in Ohio and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for Ohio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | United States | |
| Population | 11,799,448 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 40,858 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 77.8% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 12.3% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 2.4% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 1.6% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 5.7% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.6% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 91.6% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 30.9% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $69,680 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 13.2% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Secretary of State elections in 2026
There are 26 secretary of state seats on the ballot in 2026.
See also
| Ohio | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
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