Mary Kiffmeyer (R)
www.kiffmeyer.org
Mary Kiffmeyer has served two terms as Secretary of State.
(1) Institute an online voter's guide to help keep Minnesota #1 in voter turnout. Enlarge the Election Judge Trainee Program for 16- and 17-year-olds to work in the polling place on election day. Continue increasing online business services on the secure website of the office. Implement the Safe At Home Program for victims of domestic violence. Implement the Electronic Notary Program and increase the identity protection programs.
(2) Continue work with the youth for promotion of civic responsibilities and deeper understanding of the government process. Start with the Online Voter's Guide and develope more educational brochures for target audiences of need. Expanding the election night reporting system to provide the speedier returns, which is especially appealing to the young voters.
(3) I do not support voting by mail on a regular basis because I believe the safest ballot cast is the one in the polling place and that the in-person experience has the greatest benefit for the first-time new voter. I have concerns about coercion in voting, especially in abusive domestic situations, and I have concerns about the accuracy of ballots cast without the benefit of the technology that exists in polling places.
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Mark Ritchie (DFL)
www.markritchie06.net
A former Perpich administration official, Ritchie started the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and started the League of Rural Voters.
(1) First, get the partisanship out of the Secretary of State's office. I will bring experts back to the office and get rid of political appointees. I will start treating all parties and all voters the same. I will make sure we stop playing politics with our elections.
Second, restore excellent service and make the office more responsive and responsible. We've got to stop overcharging our citizens, nonprofits, and small businesses. We've got to stop giving out wrong or misleading answers, and we've got to make sure we're treating Minnesota laws with respect and implement every one of them the office is charged with.
Third, I will start promoting voter registration and voter turnout. We'll get people involved and excited about voting, promote voting to students, young people, and new Minnesotans, and I will be a champion for our democratic process.
(2) The Secretary of State's office should stop disparaging our laws and customs, and start promoting greater registration rates and turnout. We should be including voter registration cards in as many government forms and mailings as we can. We should look into ideas like automatic registration, pre-registration, and other new innovations. Finally, as Secretary of State I will never travel the country disparaging laws like same-day registration.
(3) I support vote by mail because for many communities in greater Minnesota it is the only option that makes sense. People should not have to drive 50 miles to their polling place. Vote by mail saves money, increases turnout, and simply works better for many Minnesotans.
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Joel Spoonheim (I)
www.TeamMN.com
An economic development director and city planner (in Brooklyn Park and St. Paul), Joel Spoonheim founded Civics Connection in 1996.
(1) We need an independent Secretary of State who is committed to a fair democracy, not an extreme partisan agenda. I am committed to ensuring every citizen's vote is counted, to working closely with local governments, and to providing for more effective ways in which to enhance participation in our policy-making process.
(2) I think partisanship, negative campaigning, and too much money in politics have driven voters away. The Secretary of State must work to reduce partisanship - both in this office and in the election process. An independent Secretary of State would focus on getting Minnesotans more involved - not only in elections, but also in policy-making.
Our public participation should not stop at simply voting. My goal is to give Minnesotans a voice at the capitol all year.
(3) I support citizen engagement in all its forms - in-person, online, and through the media - and will make it the top priority of this office. We need more voter engagement, not less. Voter fraud has only been prosecuted three times in the last decade. I am much more concerned that fewer and fewer Minnesotans are voting, and I think we should explore all our options to make it easy for everyone who is eligible to vote. Voting by mail could be especially attractive as our population ages and the elderly have trouble with transportation or weather issues in early November.
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