Ohio voters will choose a new state auditor Tuesday, Nov. 3, in a race between Republican Frank LaRose and Democrat Annette Blackwell.
The winner will replace Auditor Keith Faber, who has held the office since 2019 and is running for attorney general, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The office matters beyond spreadsheets. Ohio's auditor oversees tax and spending audits for state agencies, counties, cities, villages and school districts, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. The auditor also holds a seat on the seven-member Ohio Redistricting Commission, which draws state legislative district lines and can play a role in congressional redistricting, the Dispatch reported.
The candidates
LaRose is in his second four-year term as secretary of state and is barred by term limits from running again, the Dispatch reported. He previously served eight years in the Ohio Senate and is a U.S. Army Green Beret, according to the Dispatch.
On his campaign website, LaRose released a 10-point "accountability and affordability plan," the Ohio Capital Journal reported. The plan calls for "affordability audits" to examine spending growth against inflation and household costs, new public spending dashboards, using artificial intelligence to review government transactions and creating an "Ohio Taxpayer Fraud Bounty Program" to encourage reports of public corruption, according to the Capital Journal.
LaRose also wants to require performance audits for local governments in certain circumstances. Local governments can request performance audits, and the auditor also has authority to initiate them; LaRose proposes additional requirements.
The Ohio Capital Journal reported that LaRose's campaign did not respond to multiple interview requests from that outlet.
Blackwell has served as mayor of Maple Heights, a Cleveland-area city of roughly 23,000 people, since 2016, the Dispatch reported. Before entering public office, she worked in property-tax consulting at Deloitte and Ryan and also held roles at KeyBank and University Hospitals, according to WLWT.
When Blackwell took office, Maple Heights was under a fiscal emergency designation from the state auditor's office, the Ohio Capital Journal reported. Under Blackwell’s administration, Maple Heights was released from fiscal emergency in November 2020.
Blackwell said on the campaign trail she has heard from school district representatives and township officials who are approaching fiscal concern or have just climbed out from under it, the Capital Journal reported. She said the auditor's office should do more to help communities facing financial strain, not just audit them, according to the Capital Journal.
What's at stake
The auditor's office is responsible for auditing roughly 5,900 entities with about 800 to 900 employees, figures cited during an Oct. 23 PBS "State of Ohio" debate between the two candidates.
The office also recently dealt with an alleged cyberattack. Its web server was "attacked by overseas cybercriminals and potentially foreign state actors," according to a statement from Faber published on the auditor's website, the Capital Journal reported. The office said it did not believe personal financial information of Ohioans was put at risk.
Polls and results
Polls are open statewide from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to WTOL. Voters in line when polls close will still be allowed to cast their ballots.
Absentee ballots must be received by county boards of elections no later than 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3, WTOL reported. Under Ohio's updated absentee voting law, ballots from most voters are no longer accepted after Election Day, even if mailed before the election.
The first unofficial results are expected shortly after polls close, according to WTOL. The Ohio Secretary of State's office said results will be posted at LiveResults.OhioSoS.gov. All results remain unofficial until the official canvass is completed and the election is certified.
