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Secretary of State
Meet the Candidates for Secretary of State
Alexandria Frederick Democrat
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Candidate did not respond.
Steve Barnett
Republican
The Secretary of State’s office is responsible for a wide number of important duties that help ensure our government operates efficiently. It oversees an election division that must provide steady leadership and work collaboratively with county and city leaders to foster successful elections. It also oversees a business services division that servesasavitalresourceandplaysanimportantrolewithin manybusinessproceedingsthroughoutourstate.
Duringthiscampaign,I’ vetraveledacrossourgreatstate andlistenedtoconcernsandideasfromourfellowSouth Dakotans. Election security, campaign finance, and a promptbusinessfilingsystemwereoftenrepeatedtopics we discussed.
Intoday ’sworld,electionsecurityisaprincipalconcern. AsSecretaryofState,identifyingandsupportingpolicies and procedures that strengthen this security will be a top priority. Voters need to have faith in our voting mechanisms and be confident that our elections are free from outside influence. We must also place a focus on voter education. Our citizens need to have election information available to them to encourage their participation.
Providingpromptservicetobusinessesworkingwiththe office will also be a key priority. This focus is not only beneficialtothosedoingbusinesswiththeState,butalso serves as a key revenue driver for the office.
As StateAuditor for the past eight years, I’ ve strived to run our office as efficiently and effectively as possible. We’ ve been able to reduce our staff size, add protections and safeguards to the reimbursement process, and revert over $375,000 back to the State’s general fund at the close of our fiscal years. Through these efforts, I was honored to be selected by my colleagues around the country as Vice-President of the NationalAssociation of State Comptrollers last March. This focus on providing frugalleadershipandworkingcollaborativelywithothers will be continued as your Secretary of State.
As the election draws near, I look forward to continuing to discuss my vision for the office with South Dakotans across our state and am asking for your support on November 6th!
