Training and Experience
As a leukemia physician, I rebuilt a struggling program. I built a team of nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians who were dedicated to great patient care. Our program has revenue exceeding 250 million/year with more than 500 employees, and leading this team taught me how to build organizations dedicated to service.
For years, Ohio’s Secretary of State has made it harder for Ohioans to vote. I am running for Secretary of State because our democracy is under attack. Trump and Ohio’s MAGA super majority gerrymander and suppress voters, and trick people with dishonest ballot language. The first step to promoting voter participation is to stop actively harming Ohio’s voters.
Once the damage of voter suppression and partisan gerrymandering have been overcome, we can focus on proactive ways to increase voter participation. This includes civic engagement for high school students and college students who can vote, making it easier to vote absentee or by mail and eliminating the burdensome restrictions on in-person early voting hours and drop boxes.
Ohio’s elections are secure, but there are areas where we can improve. As Secretary of State, I will work with the Ohio Board of Voting Systems Examiners to evaluate each county and ensure that our office invests in the most secure voting technology. Beyond updating our technology, I will also increase the number of audits and tests we conduct of our voting technology county by county, to guarantee the safest and most secure election possible.
In 2024, our current Secretary of State used his vote on the ballot board to write dishonest ballot language meant to confuse Ohio voters. Nobody should be cheated out of their vote.
I am running because I know that Ohioans want to know that ballot language will be written fairly, with honest language that any Ohioan can understand. Even if a ballot initiative is one I personally disagree with, I promise to write the ballot language fairly and honestly, rather than putting my thumb on the scale like our current Secretary of State.
We are significantly handcuffed by the Citizens United decision. However, even as a candidate, there are things I can control. I am running for Ohio Secretary of State to end gerrymandering, protect the vote, and run fair elections. I cannot do that if I am owned by the pharmaceutical industry or energy companies, or a couple of wealthy families. That is why I have not—and will not—accept donations from big businesses or their political action committees, shell corporations, or other dark money schemes.
The Secretary of State also has the ability to administer and enforce campaign finance rules and conduct initial investigations into campaign finance violations. I will use this authority to rein in dark money in politics.
Ohio’s voters are currently disenfranchised by politicians who are not held accountable to the people. We need to end gerrymandering by passing an independent redistricting commission in 2027 so that our 2028 congressional and state legislative maps are drawn fairly. When politicians compromise on gerrymandering, all Ohioans lose. I am running for Secretary of State to give Ohioans their voice back on the ballot.
Ohio deserves fair maps. As Secretary of State, I will lead the charge to get an independent redistricting commission back on the ballot in 2027, this time with fair and honest ballot language, unlike what we had in 2024. Once this passes, Ohio will see fair maps drawn for Congress and the state legislature. These new maps will balance out the partisanship in our statehouse and will likely send 3-4 more Democrats to D.C.
I will never compromise on gerrymandering. Supporting gerrymandering is disqualifying for any candidate running for Secretary of State.
Training and Experience
Allison spent more than 20 years working to solve problems in health care — advising federal agencies and health systems on how to improve care for seniors, veterans, military families, and vulnerable communities. She then entered the state legislature in 2019, where she was later elected House Minority Leader. In that time she helped build a coalition to defeat the August 2023 Issue 1 "60% power grab" and then enshrine reproductive rights into Ohio's constitution.
I believe increasing voter participation and voter education should be key duties of the office. Ensuring that Ohioans are informed about how, when, and where to vote is essential to a strong democracy. This work relies on building partnerships with key communities, including school districts, universities, nonpartisan organizations focused on voting, faith communities, and local governments. These partners play a critical role in helping reach voters in their communities and encouraging civic participation. In addition, we should focus on making voting information more accessible. That includes reimagining the technologies voters use to access election information and register to vote. By improving the platforms voters rely on, we can ensure accurate information is readily available.
One change I would make is increasing and stabilizing funding for our local Boards of Elections. Currently, funding for county Boards of Elections comes from a mix of state and county resources. As a result, some counties are well funded, while others only have enough resources to do the minimum required to carry out elections with limited staffing. When resources vary significantly by county, it can create gaps that make it harder for some jurisdictions to maintain the highest standards of security and efficiency. My knowledge and experience navigating the state budget process will be important in advocating for adequate funding for our Boards of Elections. Ensuring these offices have the staffing, technology, and training they need will help maintain secure, reliable elections.
While Section 1 of Article XVI of the Ohio Constitution dictates the composition of the Ohio Ballot Board, the Secretary of State serves as the Chair of the Ballot Board and can dictate the tone and tenor of the Board’s activities. I believe the Ohio Ballot Board should function as an unbiased Board that prescribes and certifies the ballot language for proposed Constitutional amendments, initiatives, and referenda and oversees efforts to inform voters of ballot issues. Personal and partisan perspectives on a specific issue should not dictate the work of the Board. Regarding ballot language specifically, the change I would promote would be to simplify the official ballot language so that it can be easily read and understood by the average voter, is fair, and is as unbiased as possible.
The Secretary of State carries out campaign finance laws, but does not have the power to set new policy without legislative action. However, the Secretary of State still has regulatory oversight into this process. Last year, the Ohio Legislature dissolved the Ohio Elections Commission and shifted the investigation for violations of campaign finance laws to the Secretary of State’s office. Appeal of decisions goes to the Ohio Elections Integrity Commission, whose chairperson is also appointed by the Secretary of State. The Ohio Secretary of State has enormous discretion to investigate campaigns for any potential campaign finance infractions. Because of this new and relatively unchecked power, it is more important than ever that Ohio elects a Secretary of State who is fair and transparent.
I believe that the best way to represent the diverse interests of all Ohio voters is to conduct the Office of Secretary of State in a fair and unbiased manner. It should not matter what issues or candidates a Secretary of State supports or opposes—the responsibility of the office is to ensure that every candidate the same fair opportunity to come before Ohio voters, and that every voter has their voice heard and counted.
To achieve this, the office must prioritize professionalism and transparency in every aspect of election administration. That includes hiring staff who represent the diversity of Ohio’s political perspectives and communities. By bringing together people with different viewpoints and experiences, the office can better understand and respond to challenges voters face.
First, I believe Ohio’s redistricting process should NOT include any politician, including the Secretary of State. The current process is fundamentally broken because it relies on politicians to make unbiased decisions to fairly draw our gerrymandered districts, and it includes no enforcement power for the Ohio Supreme Court when bipartisan agreement cannot be reached. The Ohio Redistricting Commission will not meet to redraw district lines until after our next census in 2031, meaning that the Secretary of State that we elect this year will not sit on that commission unless reelected in 2030. However, I believe the role of the next Secretary of State is to give any future citizen-led ballot initiative that may reform our current redistricting process a fair shot with unbiased language.
