EXCLUSIVE: Ohio Treasurer of State Robert Sprague plans to replace Secretary of State Frank LaRose

Republican Ohio Treasurer of State and a current candidate to replace Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Robert Sprague, said in Ohio.News in an exclusive interview that he plans to continue LaRose’s voting integrity legacy, defend closed primaries, and prevent political partisanship.

According to Sprague, if the American election system remains corrupt, Americans will lose their constitutional rights over time. He says the solution is to ensure that only American citizens residing in Ohio can vote in the state’s elections.

“What I want to do as the next Secretary of State is move the citizenship check to the front end,” he said.

Sprague then said that if a person can provide their full name, Social Security number, birth date, and other relevant information, such as a U.S. passport, they would be put on the voter rolls.

“I want to move to a front-end citizenship check that you have to pass before you’re able to be put on the voter rolls in the state of Ohio,” he said.

He then addressed the potential criticism from people who could say that he is “discriminatory” by saying that he follows the laws of the U.S. Constitution.

Sprague said that to accomplish that, Ohio needs to have access to the federal database that shows who is a citizen of the country and who is not. He pointed out that if that won’t happen, the state of Ohio needs to use every possible legal method to verify whether a person is an American citizen.

“You know that’s your right, and also it’s your sovereign duty to protect your rights under the Constitution and be able to exercise your right to vote. So I want to make sure that that happens,” Sprague said.

He then said that the election integrity should not be a concern just for Republicans but for Democrats, too, adding that both political parties holding each other accountable for potential voter fraud makes elections in the state of Ohio honest.

Sprague also opposed those who want to bypass the laws to impose their political ideology on others, saying, “The office is not a place for a partisan hack that wants to tear down the election system and use it for their own political purposes.”

“It is, quite frankly, one of the foundational building blocks of our Republic, and the citizens deserve to be able to trust the elections,” he said. “They deserve to trust the people who are involved with the elections. And they deserve to be able to trust the machines with the elections as well.”

During the interview, Sprague also supported closed primaries, telling politically independent candidates to either vote for Republicans or Democrats during the primary and general elections.

“It’s a bipolar system, and that was built for a specific reason,” he said. “And I think it’s a good system, and it’s one that we should support. It’s supported in the founding of our country.”

Next Steps

Sprague will face Marcell Strbich during the May 5, 2026, Republican primary.

The winner will face the winner of the Democratic primary in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Two candidates — Bryan Hambley and Allison Russo — are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Sprague didn’t say anything about Strbich, but said he is a better candidate than Russo because he has more political experience.