Over the past 16 months, I have closely studied Minnesota’s election laws and processes, which has allowed me to identify serious issues that have affected the integrity of our elections over the last 18 years. One of the most significant is the Absentee Ballot Board (ABB), established in 2008 (203B.23) to remove absentee ballots from local precincts and peers, and centralize them under handlers who are not bound by oath, party balance, or the same requirements as election judges.

The ABB was later expanded through legislation in 2010 (203B.121, co-sponsored by Rep. Steve Simon) to include all absentee ballots, and again in 2013 (Chief Author - Steve Simon) to introduce Deputy County Auditors and Deputy City Clerks who operate without the same restrictions as election judges.

I have observed that the current Secretary of State (SOS) has minimized the role of party-balanced election judges while promoting the expanded use of deputies for all ABB tasks except signature verification. In 2024, absentee and early ballots accounted for more than 38% of all votes cast in Minnesota, making this issue critically important.

Since the ABB’s inception, the current SOS has made no effort to ensure that only election judges handle all absentee ballot processes, as the law allows. This creates a serious vulnerability in the system and calls into question the trustworthiness of the current SOS. By uncovering these long-standing issues, often hidden in legislative history, I have gained insight into how Minnesota’s elections can be better protected. This focused research has prepared me to implement meaningful reforms and safeguard the integrity of our elections as Secretary of State.

I bring a diverse professional background in logistics, transportation, and information technology. My experience in transportation has given me a deep understanding of chain-of-custody best practices, ensuring that valuable or sensitive items are tracked and protected from start to finish, a principle directly applicable to safeguarding ballots.

In addition, my logistics and IT experience has strengthened my ability to manage complex operations, optimize processes, and secure digital systems, all critical skills for overseeing Minnesota’s elections. This combination of expertise positions me to ensure election processes are secure, efficient, and fully transparent for all voters.

I have not held elected office or an official government role. However, I am actively involved in local civic and political efforts. I serve as an executive board member of our local political organization and participate on our organization’s election review task force. These roles have given me hands-on experience with election oversight, civic engagement, and the practical challenges of ensuring fair and transparent processes at the local level.

When the will of the people is placed in the hands of individuals without bipartisan oversight or proper safeguards, the election is, by default, compromised. Morevover, while outside the presence of election judges, absentee ballots must be sealed with tamper-evident, serialized seals and recorded in a chain-of-custody log. When they are not, those ballots are compromised, and the integrity of the election is directly at risk.

In my professional experience transporting sensitive materials like alcohol and currency, chain-of-custody is absolute. If a seal were missing or replaced, the driver would immediately be arrested, an investigation launched, and the shipment quarantined until every item could be accounted for. Why can’t we demand the same standards for our most precious civic process — elections? This is unacceptable, and it is a problem that must be fixed.

We have allowed for out-of-state college students to vote for years. That by definition is an out-of-state resident. But in 2023, under Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat trifecta amended election statutes to change every occurrence of the term “resident” to “maintains residence.” This means that anyone who maintains residence in a minicipality in Minnesota for at least 20 days can be deemed eligible to vote in that municipality.

As a result, individuals who have no tax liability in that municipality are now legally allowed to vote in that minucipality. There are currently no safeguards to ensure these voters are not also voting in their home state, which is a serious breach of election security best practices.

Strong security measures must be in place and enforced to prevent this kind of double-voting and to protect the integrity of Minnesota elections.

Everything I have found can be thoroughly documented, most often directly in Minnesota’s election law itself. If my findings contradict public perception, I would encourage individuals to look past the noise and review the facts for themselves in the statutes. My approach is rooted in transparency, evidence, and ensuring that voters understand exactly how our elections are conducted and where vulnerabilities exist.

My campaign is primarily supported by small grassroots donations from everyday Minnesotans, though contributions from PACs or larger donors may occur within legal limits. Regardless of the source, I will never compromise my commitment to restoring fair, honest, and secure elections in Minnesota. My focus remains on serving the voters, not outside interests.

Our campaign relies on donations, but I prefer contributions from individuals who have the best interests of all Minnesotans in mind. I will not accept donations from any party or organization that expects me to compromise my plan to restore fair, honest, and secure elections for every voter in Minnesota.

Yes. The role of Secretary of State must be non-partisan. While I may personally align with a political party, my primary responsibility is to provide secure elections for every Minnesotan, regardless of affiliation. Any security measures I implement would be fully non-partisan, with bipartisan oversight, and designed to protect the interests of all voters equally.

The Secretary of State’s office is responsible for a wide range of administrative functions, including elections, business filings, and public records. My primary focus would be modernizing the elections system first, because that is where public trust is most at risk. The office can be improved with better systems, better oversight, and modern technology.

A key part of modernization is bringing stronger, more transparent technology into every step of the election process. That includes:

• Real-time ballot tracking using secure barcode or QR-based chain-of-custody logs, so every ballot can be accounted for from issuance to final tabulation.
• Tamper-evident digital audit logs that record every action taken on ballots and election systems in a verifiable, time-stamped format.
• Standardized statewide reporting dashboards so counties report election activity in a consistent, transparent way.
• Improved voter roll maintenance tools that use secure data matching to keep records accurate while protecting eligible voters.
• Digitized absentee ballot tracking systems to reduce manual paperwork and increase consistency across counties.

In addition, I would expand the use of secure election management software that reduces manual processes and inconsistencies between counties, including:

• Automated reconciliation reports to flag discrepancies early in the counting process.
• Centralized transparency tools that allow public observation of key election processes without compromising ballot security.
• Stronger system-wide audit capabilities to verify results independently and consistently across jurisdictions.

These technology upgrades would work alongside strong physical safeguards, including:

• 100% party-balanced election judges handling ballots throughout the entire election process.
• Properly enforced tamper-evident security seals with clear chain-of-custody documentation.
• Additional protections such as serialized or watermarked ballots to reduce the risk of counterfeiting or substitution.

Together, these reforms modernize the office while strengthening accountability, consistency, and public confidence in Minnesota elections.

Cybersecurity in elections should start with a simple principle: if a system is not connected, it cannot be remotely compromised. For that reason, election infrastructure should be designed to operate in a fully offline environment wherever ballots are being cast, counted, or stored. Any form of internet or network connectivity, including wired intranet systems, creates an unnecessary attack surface and introduces avoidable risk.

A secure election system should prioritize physical security, transparency, and human oversight over complex digital networking. That includes:

• Ensuring ballot tabulators and polling place equipment are fully air-gapped and not connected to the internet or internal networks
• Eliminating wireless connectivity, remote access tools, and any external data transmission from precinct-level election equipment
• Relying on secure, physical chain-of-custody procedures instead of real-time electronic transmission of results
• Conducting critical election processes at the precinct level with trained, party-balanced election judges rather than centralized or contractor-based systems

At the core of this approach is restoring confidence through simplicity and accountability. Elections should be conducted in a way that is observable, verifiable, and resistant to both physical and cyber threats, with human oversight serving as the final safeguard for every ballot cast and counted.

Voter education and outreach should focus on giving Minnesotans a clear understanding of how elections are administered and where safeguards depend on public participation. This includes educating voters on key processes such as absentee ballot handling, voter eligibility verification, and the role of election judges in maintaining bipartisan oversight.

As part of this campaign, I am outlining a three-step approach to help engage and empower voters to take an active role in strengthening election integrity in their communities:

1. LEARN what an election judge is and understand their responsibilities at both the precinct level and on county absentee ballot boards.
2. SIGN UP to serve as an election judge at both the precinct and for the county Absentee Ballot Board, helping ensure bipartisan oversight is present throughout the election process.
3. ADVOCATE with your county auditor (if elected) or county commissioners (if the auditor is appointed) to adopt a resolution requiring that ONLY ELECTION JUDGES are used to handle ALL BALLOTS throughout the ENTIRE ELECTION CYCLE. This approach is fully compliant with statute and represents a clear standard of best practice for restoring full bipartisan oversight.

This approach is designed to educate voters, increase civic participation, and strengthen confidence in the election process by ensuring more citizens are directly involved in election administration.