ST. PAUL -- Mary Kiffmeyer says she has established an impressive eight-year record as Minnesota's top elections official, but her main opponent argues she has developed a less-flattering reputation.
Kiffmeyer, a Republican seeking a third term as secretary of state, said she has dramatically improved the office since first elected in 1998. She cites the implementation of new election laws and addition of modern vote-counting equipment and she takes partial credit for an increase in voter turnout.
Mark Ritchie, the secretary's DFL challenger, said Kiffmeyer's rosy analysis ignores the reality that she is partisan and prone to incompetence. He claims Kiffmeyer's office has a rocky reputation among some local election officials, and that the secretary has ignored state election laws and not done enough to boost voter participation.
The office is "being run on a pretty partisan and politicized basis," he said.
"That is not true," Kiffmeyer responded.
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A race for secretary of state, whose responsibilities include overseeing elections and registering businesses in Minnesota, doesn't usually generate a high-profile buzz. This year's contest might draw more attention as Kiffmeyer is both one of the GOP's most popular elected officials and a lightning rod for Democratic criticism.
Ritchie has spent more than a year campaigning and drawing attention to what he sees as Kiffmeyer's overtly partisan tone.
Kiffmeyer, of Big Lake Township in the northern Twin Cities area, is completing her second four-year term and touts her ability to reach out to a younger generation of voters. Prior to running for office, she served as a local election judge.
Ritchie, of Minneapolis, is making his first run for office. In 2004, he founded the nationwide voter registration initiative called November 2. Ritchie's work also includes rural Minnesota voter registration drives.
In defending her record, Kiffmeyer points to a sweeping upgrade of the office Web site, which now offers voter information, election results and forms for businesses that register with the office. She said the office has increased training opportunities for local election officials and prides itself on quality customer service.
For his part, Ritchie said he wants to return the Secretary of State's office to its role of impartial elections official, and claimed he can do so despite running for a major party. Ritchie lists multiple instances in which he said Kiffmeyer has displayed partisanship, and says that discourages civic participation.
"We are here to uphold the law," Kiffmeyer said, dismissing charges of playing politics while administering elections. "We give the exact same answer to anybody who asks."
Many of Ritchie's concerns about Kiffmeyer are echoed by Joel Spoonheim, the Independence Party's candidate for secretary of state, although he argues a Democratic secretary is not the solution.
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"The secretary needs to be committed to running fair elections, and I think that starts by looking at whose money you take when you run for office," said Spoonheim, part of the Independence Party's "Team Minnesota" slate of candidates for statewide office.
"Our commitment is to citizens first," added Spoonheim of Minneapolis.
Also in the race is Bruce Kennedy, an independent. Kennedy, a Roseville attorney, said he learned through his work lobbying on state election issues that the secretary of state should not be affiliated with a political party.
"I'm just as qualified as the other candidates," he said. "I'm just choosing not to run with a party. I think it's wrong."
Salary for the secretary of state is $90,227 annually.
