One of the Minnesota Secretary of State's primary responsibilities is to get voters into the voting booth. Voters face three choices for that role: Independence Party nominee Joel Spoonheim, DFL candidate Mark Ritchie and Republican incumbent Mary Kiffmeyer.
Spoonheim, the economic development director for Brooklyn Park, doesn't have adequate experience.
Ritchie has experience in voter activism. He founded the League of Rural Voters in 1986 and in 2004 founded November 2, a nonpartisan voter registration effort that registered 5 million voters. He has served 20 years as president of a Minneapolis-based nonprofit focused on sustainability of Minnesota's rural communities. His biggest challenge is the lack of significant voter problems.
Kiffmeyer has focused on the key role of overseeing elections in Minnesota. First elected in 1998, she has targeted energizing young voters under 24 to participate in Minnesota elections.
She has delivered, as Minnesota led overall voter turnout nationwide in 2000, 2002 and 2004. In the 2004 election, Minnesota overall voter turnout was also the highest in the state since 1960. And Voter participation by the 18-24 age group in Minnesota led the nation at 68 percent, compared to the national average of 48.
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Critics claim some Kiffmeyer proposals are partisan and limit voter access, but she believes voting integrity is the goal. Overall in Minnesota, voter fraud is minimal and voter turnout is up.
Kiffmeyer should be re-elected as Minnesota's Secretary of State.
