The general election will be here before we know it, and the primary elections are already almost upon us, with in-person voting taking place on May 5. One of the names on this year’s ballot belongs to The College of Wooster educator and mother of two sons, Laura Sirot (D). Sirot is running to represent District 31 as a state senator.
Ohio’s 31st District includes all or part of five counties, including Muskingum, the western part of Guernsey, Tuscarawas, the bottom-left corner of Stark, and Wayne.
Sirot has lived in Wooster, Ohio for 15 years with her husband Pete and two teenage sons, where she works at The College of Wooster as a professor and associate chair of biology. As Sirot explains it, the research that she conducts at the college “relates to understanding the reproductive biology of insect vectors of human pathogens and agricultural pests”. Outside of her passion for her work and family, Sirot is also passionate about her community, especially in the areas of children and family services, sustainability, animal rescue, and science communication.
“I am the co-founder and co-coordinator of the Wooster Science Café (now in its 14th year), which is a monthly forum for discussing science-related issues of public interest. We have served as a foster family for Wayne County Children Services and adopted a child through foster care. I continue to support their work as a Board member and through mentoring families and children. I have worked with numerous animal rescue agencies in the area, both individually and with my family and students. Together with my students, I have created programs for local animal rescue agencies, such as the K9 coach program, where I train students to work with recent adopters of dogs on common behavioral issues to decrease the number of returned dogs. I am very passionate about making Ohio and the world a safer place for current and future generations,” explained Sirot.
Sirot is running for the Ohio State Senate because she wants to unite Ohioans and address shared problems.
“We have more in common than what drives us apart. We are not on track to leave Ohio a place where our children and future generations can thrive. We have real problems that we need to address together, across party lines. We want our families and neighbors to be safe. We want strong public schools and libraries. We want to feel secure that we will be able to afford and receive quality healthcare, childcare, and elder care. We want to know that we are valued in our work by receiving fair compensation. We want our farmers and natural resources to persist into the future. We want real oversight and accountability for the taxes we pay, and we want those taxes to be fair.”
“I am running for office for my children, the students I teach, and all current and future Ohioans in our district,” Sirot added. “Ohio has the potential to be a leader in compassionate, caring, smart, sustainable, and innovative growth towards the future. I want to be part of creating that future.”
There are some key qualities and strengths that Sirot possesses and feels she can use if elected to be the next senator for District 31, such as problem-solving, the drive to research to find solutions, and the willingness to listen to people’s input on key problems.
“I am a problem solver, both in my professional and personal life. As a professor at The College of Wooster, I research new approaches to control pests that harm humans. Currently, I work with students in Ohio to figure out new ways to control mosquitoes that spread infectious diseases and agricultural pests that destroy crops,” Sirot elaborates. “The approaches I use every day at my job will help me to solve problems as your state senator. When I am trying to solve problems, I start by gathering information. I put my research skills to use and find out what we already know about the issue, including what is working and what isn’t. Next, I seek out people with different perspectives so that I can have a more complete understanding of the problem and the impact of potential solutions. Finally, I bring together all of this information to take action and create change. Like with those mosquitoes and agricultural pests where I am working to figure out ways to keep the populations down without using pesticides.”
Some areas of focus for Sirot include working on policies that benefit everyday Ohioans.
“Many of our current policies in Ohio favor corporations and super-wealthy individuals over the needs of everyday Ohioans,” said Sirot. “The tax dollars that we pay to the state should be coming back to support our communities. I would like to work with our communities and my fellow legislators to support and create policies that make life easier for everyday Ohioans, whether they live in the more rural parts of our state, the small towns, or big cities. This change can only come about if we work to find common ground on important issues. My priorities would be to make sure that every Ohioan has access to affordable health care and dependent care and free high-quality education; to make sure that our local farmers can afford to continue farming; to protect our vital natural resources; and to make sure that our taxes are fair and support our local communities.”
“Muskingum County is experiencing many of the challenges shared by other parts of SD 31, but to a greater extreme. These challenges include access to affordable health care (including mental health), drug addiction treatment, and housing, services for seniors, fair wages, and support for the infrastructure of cities, towns, villages, and townships. My priorities will be to work with local communities and fellow legislators to reduce the barriers to accessing these resources. I will show up for you, listen to you, and work with you to make changes to improve your quality of life.”
Sirot will be continuing to make connections with all voters regardless of their political affiliation.
“Saying it is an uphill battle for someone running as a Democrat in this district would be an understatement,” stated Sirot. ” But what I’ve learned during the last year of campaigning and listening to voters is that people who typically lean Republican are feeling like they don’t see themselves and their values reflected in current Republican leadership or policy. We share so much more in common with one another than the divisive, partisan culture would have us believe. And voters are frustrated by this idea that every decision is an either/or scenario, because it’s not improving their lives.”
“My strategy to make this district competitive is to connect with as many voters as I can before November. I’m realizing that the trickiest part of that isn’t necessarily a voter’s political affiliation, it’s the geographic spread of our gerrymandered district. So I am working to build a coalition of volunteers to help bridge that distance and help me get the word out.”
“As your state senator, I’ll approach my job with the keen ability of a mother to identify problems and my problem-solving skills as a researcher to address them. When I am elected, I will listen to anyone who wants to bring their concerns and ideas to me, and I will seek out people with a wide range of perspectives and life experiences. I will use the information I gather from these discussions to make progress on pressing issues facing our district. My campaign slogan is: Finding common ground to work for the common good,” said Sirot. “People are longing for leaders who put them above the party, for leaders who will make decisions based on evidence and common sense. And that’s exactly what my expertise and my integrity have prepared me to do as State Senator.”
The deadline to register to vote is April 6. Absentee voting by mail begins April 7, early in-person voting begins April 7, and election day voting is May 5. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. on election day. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. For further details, visit www.ohiosos.gov/elections.
For more information about Laura Sirot, visit her campaign website, www.sirotforohio.org. She can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.
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CAPTION: Laura Sirot is running for State Senate, representing Ohio’s 31st District. | CREDIT: Submitted
