Auditor of State
Vote for 1; 4-year term commencing 1/11/2027. Open seat (incumbent term-limited).
Candidate list checked 2026-10-11 against Ashtabula County BOECandidates (2)
Candidate statements, official records, and guide summaries are labeled below. A linked source identifies the basis for that specific claim; a pending label means the claim has not yet been individually checked.
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| Compare | Frank LaRose Republican | Annette Blackwell Democrat |
|---|---|---|
| Background | LaRose’s campaign biography says he has served as Ohio Secretary of State since 2019, previously served two terms in the Ohio Senate, and served in the U.S. Army. His campaign announced his candidacy for Auditor of State in February 2026. Frank LaRose campaign announcement for Auditor of State Evidence type: candidate statement · LaRose’s campaign announcement gives his current and prior offices, military service, and Auditor campaign launch. | Blackwell’s campaign biography says she has served as Maple Heights mayor for ten years, worked in property tax at Deloitte and Ryan, and developed the city’s recovery plan after it entered fiscal emergency. Annette Blackwell for Ohio Auditor: biography and priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · Blackwell’s campaign biography describes her mayoral service, property-tax work, and account of developing Maple Heights’s recovery plan. |
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No source-backed candidate statement on a ballot issue has been added to this guide. |
No source-backed candidate statement on a ballot issue has been added to this guide. |
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Frank LaRose Republican
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_LaRose
View Frank LaRose’s candidate profile and sources
Background
LaRose’s campaign biography says he has served as Ohio Secretary of State since 2019, previously served two terms in the Ohio Senate, and served in the U.S. Army. His campaign announced his candidacy for Auditor of State in February 2026. Frank LaRose campaign announcement for Auditor of State Evidence type: candidate statement · LaRose’s campaign announcement gives his current and prior offices, military service, and Auditor campaign launch.
Campaign Promises & Positions
- LaRose says he would bring transparency, efficiency, and accountability to state and local government. Frank LaRose campaign announcement for Auditor of State Evidence type: candidate statement · LaRose’s campaign announcement says he plans to bring transparency, efficiency, and accountability to public offices.
- His campaign says he would apply high performance standards and operational-efficiency practices to government offices. Frank LaRose campaign announcement for Auditor of State Evidence type: candidate statement · LaRose’s announcement describes applying performance standards and operational-efficiency practices to government offices.
- LaRose says he would continue efforts to identify fraud, waste, abuse, cybercrime, and public corruption. Frank LaRose campaign announcement for Auditor of State Evidence type: candidate statement · LaRose’s campaign announcement says he would build on programs to identify fraud, waste, abuse, cybercrime, and public corruption.
Voting Record
- As Secretary of State, LaRose issued a 2023 directive instructing county boards of elections to implement election-law changes under HB 458 for that year’s primary. This is an administrative action, not an Auditor of State record. Ohio Secretary of State: implementation of HB 458 election reforms Evidence type: official record · The Secretary of State’s February 2023 release documents Directive 2023-03 implementing HB 458 reforms for the May 2023 primary.
Stated Views on Ballot Issues
No source-backed candidate statement on a ballot issue has been added to this guide. That does not mean the candidate is undecided.
Promise vs. Record
Selected proposals are attributed to LaRose’s campaign. The record item documents an election-administration directive from his current office and is not evidence of how he would perform as auditor. No overall match score is assigned. Frank LaRose campaign announcement for Auditor of State · Ohio Secretary of State: implementation of HB 458 election reforms Evidence type: editorial summary · The listed record item concerns election administration in LaRose’s current office and does not establish performance in the auditor role.
Annette Blackwell Democrat
View Annette Blackwell’s candidate profile and sources
Background
Blackwell’s campaign biography says she has served as Maple Heights mayor for ten years, worked in property tax at Deloitte and Ryan, and developed the city’s recovery plan after it entered fiscal emergency. Annette Blackwell for Ohio Auditor: biography and priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · Blackwell’s campaign biography describes her mayoral service, property-tax work, and account of developing Maple Heights’s recovery plan.
Campaign Promises & Positions
- Blackwell says she would root out corruption in Ohio government. Annette Blackwell for Ohio Auditor: biography and priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · Blackwell’s campaign lists rooting out corruption as a priority.
- She says she would safeguard taxpayer dollars and oppose state actions that reduce local-government funding. Annette Blackwell for Ohio Auditor: biography and priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · Blackwell’s campaign lists safeguarding taxpayer dollars and opposing reductions to local-government funds as priorities.
- She says she would use her role on the Ohio Redistricting Commission to advocate for fair representation. Annette Blackwell for Ohio Auditor: biography and priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · Blackwell’s campaign says she would advocate for fair representation as a member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission.
Voting Record
- Blackwell’s campaign says she developed a recovery plan for Maple Heights after the city entered fiscal emergency and that the city later received multiple Clean Audit Awards. These are campaign-reported outcomes; this guide has not independently evaluated the municipal financial record. Annette Blackwell for Ohio Auditor: biography and priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · This is a campaign-reported account of the city’s recovery plan and awards; no underlying audit or fiscal-emergency records were checked in this review.
Stated Views on Ballot Issues
No source-backed candidate statement on a ballot issue has been added to this guide. That does not mean the candidate is undecided.
Promise vs. Record
Selected campaign priorities and campaign-reported municipal experience are shown. The guide does not treat a mayoral record as an Auditor of State record or assign an overall match score. Annette Blackwell for Ohio Auditor: biography and priorities Evidence type: editorial summary · This is a limited summary of campaign priorities and campaign-reported municipal experience, not a comprehensive record review.