League of Women Voters hosts forum with candidates
TOLEDO — To be secretary of state is to be Ohio’s top elections official, a role that involves oversight over the state’s elections and, consequently, enormous responsibility.
At Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Toledo last Thursday, a secretary of state candidates forum was held. The event, hosted by the League of Women Voters and moderated by City of Toledo Prosecutor Rebecca Facey, aimed to inform attendees about the secretary of state’s responsibilities while also providing an opportunity to hear from the candidates.
Organizers said they extended invites to all candidates in the race to be Ohio’s next secretary of state, though only three agreed to participate: Democrats Allison Russo and Bryan Hambley, as well as Libertarian Tom Pruss.
During the forum, candidates were first asked prepared questions before pivoting to questions written by audience members on index cards. Among the first issues the candidates tackled was ensuring elections are accessible, and at the same time, secure.
State Representative Russo (D-Upper Arlington) previously served as house minority leader in the legislature before launching her campaign to be secretary of state. She told attendees: “Let’s be clear: no one wants voter fraud. No one wants that, but we know it is exceedingly rare when it happens.”
Dr. Hambley, a southeast Ohio oncologist, is the other Democrat in the race. “I believe we need to re-enter the ERIC system,” he said, referring to the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), “a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization created by and comprised of state election officials” from around the country, according to its website.
ERIC has allowed for states to share voter information between one another, assisting them in keeping their voter roles up to date, as well as outreach to eligible — but not yet registered — voters. For example, if you were to move from Connecticut to Colorado (both ERIC states), Colorado could reach out to you with information on registering to vote there, while informing Connecticut that you no longer live there and should be removed from its voter rolls. Ohio was previously a part of this system, up until Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) pulled out of it.
Hambley added, on maintaining accurate voter rolls, that “we don’t need to be kicking people off the voter rolls in this manner our secretary of state has been using.”
Pruss, the sole Libertarian and third-party candidate in the race for secretary of state, said “we have to keep educating” people about updating their voter registration, adding that “we shouldn’t be purging people to purge them.”
He took a cautious approach to requiring more of voters in the name of election security, saying that “we’re going to cause everybody to go through hoops for something very minuscule.”
Dr. Hambley and Rep. Russo spoke to their concerns over partisan gerrymandering in the state of Ohio.
“Often, the secretary of state is the tie-breaking vote” on the Ohio Ballot Board, said Rep. Russo, which is composed of two Democratic state legislators, two Republican state legislators, and the secretary of state. The board is responsible for crafting the ballot language that voters see when deciding on important matters, including constitutional amendments. She emphasized the need for clear ballot language, allowing the public to better understand what it’s voting on.
Dr. Hambley said “this power is critical to get rid of gerrymandering,” explaining how a constitutional amendment to address gerrymandering could be put before voters — such as 2024’s Issue 1 — which Secretary of State LaRose, and Republicans on the ballot board, have been accused of making intentionally misleading (as to guarantee its failure).
Pruss proposed a change to the Ohio Ballot Board’s composition: “I would make the ballot board truly nonpartisan: one Democrat, one Republican, and three independents.”
Candidates also discussed the role that local boards of elections play in ensuring Ohio’s elections go smoothly. “You have to make the process easier for poll workers, as well,” said Pruss, referring to the training election workers in Ohio go through.
Both Dr. Hambley and Rep. Russo said they believe it’s important to invest in resources, training, and equipment so that local county boards of election are able to do their jobs well. Rep. Russo criticized the state legislature’s Republican majority for, she says, not providing funding to support the implementation of requirements it adds of county elections offices.
Rep. Russo also expressed disapproval with the elimination of the Ohio Elections Commission by her General Assembly colleagues in last year’s budget bill, calling the move “ripe for abuse of power.” Under the change, the commission’s responsibilities are placed under the secretary of state’s purview. The OEC’s primary role was to act as an independent watchdog when it comes to campaign finance law.
Responding to an audience question about how they would handle a situation in which ICE, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, is stationed outside Ohio polling locations, every candidate said they would oppose it.
“There’s no need for ICE to be there,” Pruss said, adding that “American citizens vote in American elections. It’s always been that way.”
“What a time of fear we live in? Intentional fear,” said Dr. Hambley.
Rep. Russo said “that will absolutely be something that I will push back strongly on,” said Rep. Russo on ICE, or any group, having a presence outside Ohio polling locations.
The Toledo Free Press previously reached out to the Republican candidates in the race, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague and Marcell Strbich, for one-on-one interviews. So far, only Sprague has responded and did agree to sit down for a Zoom interview with TFP, as did Dr. Hambley, both of which you can find in this article.
The TFP is also working to secure one-on-one interviews with Rep. Russo and Mr. Pruss.
