Ohio GOP Secretary of State Candidates Push Voter Suppression Fantasies Ahead of Primary

With less than a week before Ohio’s primary election, Republican candidates vying to become the state’s next Secretary of State are locked in a race to the bottom, trading in misinformation and voter suppression tactics that could reshape how Ohioans cast their ballots.

Current Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague leads the pack, running a bizarre Sesame Street-themed ad promising to abolish all ballot drop boxes statewide. The ad, widely criticized by election experts and local officials, paints drop boxes as magnets for fraud—a claim with zero evidence. WVXU’s fact-checking analysis calls Sprague’s attack “pure fantasy,” highlighting that drop boxes are located only on secure county election board properties, are accessed by bipartisan teams using dual keys, and have been a trusted part of Ohio’s election infrastructure for over a decade.

Local elections officials have voiced strong support for drop boxes, emphasizing their importance as a lifeline for voters with disabilities, those without reliable transportation, and working people who cannot visit polling places during limited hours. Eliminating drop boxes, they warn, would amount to voter suppression disguised as election integrity.

Sprague’s platform also includes a push for a new “voter-verified paper record” system that Ohio already has in place. Ohio law requires paper ballots to be scanned and preserved as a backup, rendering his proposed solution redundant and exposing his misunderstanding of the office he seeks.

The stakes are high. While Ohio’s governor and Senate races dominate headlines, this down-ballot contest could directly impact voting rights and access. As Cleveland.com’s Today in Ohio podcast bluntly put it, “We just cannot afford to have people in statewide office that don’t have the brain to do the job.”

This primary is a stark reminder that election denialism and misinformation are not confined to national headlines—they are being weaponized at the state level to restrict voting access and undermine democracy. Ohio voters should be wary of candidates who peddle baseless fears at the expense of their fundamental right to vote.