Meet Kristin Hedger
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Kristin Hedger, who is running for Secretary of State in North Dakota. I encourage you to check out her website, where you can learn more about Kristin and why she is running.
Why are you running for Secretary of State?
I believe there is so much that can be done in terms of energizing the office and making it work for North Dakotans and one of the fundamentals ways of making it work for them is to make it as easy as possible to vote, another way would be to work closely with business leaders to promote economic development and North Dakota based entrepreneurs.
What do you see happening with North Dakota Democrats?
There is an energy you can feel; we’re going to be stronger. We are on the verge of a change of tide. We’ve always had a strong Congressional delegation – and now joining them there are fresh faces coming to the table, who are running at all levels of government and who are energized and who love the state. It’s the Democratic Party that is bringing those fresh faces to the table.
The North Dakota primary is June 13th, but you are running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, what have you been focusing on?
We work really closely with other races. I’m grateful to have had the chance to play a role bringing others to the table. The North Dakota pioneers had to work together to settle the state, and that is an inherent part of who we are. In North Dakota, and in the Democratic Party, we want to work together and build each other up. In building others up, you strengthen the state and you build the party. I believe this is what leadership is all about.
A lot of young Democrats, including yourself, are running for office in North Dakota, why do you think this is?
There is a sense that Republicans see public office as “just a job”. Democrats, especially young Democrats, have an energy and passion to make government work for North Dakota.
Let’s talk about the office of Secretary of State. What would you like to accomplish?
One thing we pride ourselves on is having the easiest voting situation in the nation. The current Secretary of State hasn’t worked proactively to ensure that folks know all of the options with respect to their voting rights. For instance, he doesn’t recognize tribal IDs as sufficient ID for voting. North Dakotans are required to have some way to identify who they are and he hasn’t recognized that form of ID. So American Indians were denied the right to vote at the polls.
A lot of seniors were denied as well, because they are used to not having to present identification. Instead of working to educate them, or providing them with legal alternatives, they were told to go home and get ID and many did not return, meaning that many American Indians and seniors were disenfranchised.
Instead of serving the public and advising those to ensure an efficient process, the current Secretary of State gives muddled, and seemingly conflicted, advice. It makes it hard for party officials and county officials. In that way it compromises the integrity of North Dakota’s election process. What I would do, is work hard to give sound advice to prevent confusion, so the process is truly working for North Dakotans.
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