KELOland: Public will be barred from ALL meetings of Secretary of State Election study on election integrity

@SoDakCampaigns

Updating the story from earlier this week where it came out that the June 21 first meeting of the Secretary of State’s election study would be held privately with the public barred from attending, KELOland news is now reporting that all three of the meetings are considered “non-public”

Jennifer Morrell, co-founder of The Elections Group and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, will be a moderator.

Rachel Soulek with the secretary of state’s office told KELOLAND News there will be three meetings – June 21 (discussion), July 20 (draft) and August 22 (finalize).

Soulek called the meetings “an ad hoc study” and the office didn’t consider them public meetings.

and..

“Some of us do not know each other,” DeBoer told KELOLAND News. “Let’s say a disagreement takes place. If that disagreement takes place early in the meeting and then it’s resolved later in the meeting, which part of that is somebody going to take home and talk about?”

and..

This group will meet under the secretary of state’s office. Nelson pointed out he is volunteering for this group and said there’s no compensation for members traveling to the meeting but a lunch is being provided.

Read the entire story here.

Couple of takeaways from the story.

The only public member of the panel is Vicky Buhr, who is heavily involved with the South Dakota chapter of Convention of States. (You remember them, don’t you?).

And the group is being moderated by the founder of an organization which does do paid training for election officials, including explaining how ballot drop boxes are secure.  I will be curious to see if they end up getting any contracts for training later down the line.

Keep watching.

25 thoughts on “KELOland: Public will be barred from ALL meetings of Secretary of State Election study on election integrity”

  1. Shame, we got rid of a solid reputable SOS for this clownshow. Hope the far right elements are pleased that they won’t get the public meetings on election integrity they so desperately craved.

    1. Monae probably holds hundreds of meetings like this a year in her office that aren’t public. Her problem is she has made a spectacle of holding these meetings. The only reason to make a spectacle is to get publicity and media attention. Then to turn around and say they are all private is a foolish decision.

      She should have already had the meetings. She should have put better people on her committee. Riemers is the only serious person on it. Why wouldn’t she want leaders from the legislature, auditors, maybe a former SOS, or board of elections member, not crazy auditors and A-hole freedom caucus members who trash her in press releases.

    2. Barnett brought his own demise on himself. He sits on six figures in his campaign account he could have used to win.

  2. This is weird. If it’s just a regular staff meeting, why advertise it. If it’s a formal moderated discussion, make it public. In fact, why hasn’t any anyone made a public meetings law request yet? This may be the worst communications blunder I’ve seen in a while.

  4. Well, as Hunter S Thompson said,”when the going gets weird the weird turn pro”.

  6. WTAF? She is on over her head. Surrounded herself with an arrogant deputy.

    I hate to say it, but it’s time to make some of these offices a Primary Election. The convention gave us Ravnsborg and now this show.

        1. If the nominees were so bad they were losing elections then maybe it’s a conversation worth having but a Dem hasn’t won a statewide race since 2008 (Herseth). Steve Kolbeck (formerly known as a Dem) won PUC in 2006 with less than 50%.

  7. She probably doesn’t want the media seeing her incompetence firsthand. Oh wait….

  8. SDGQP the more extreme it gets the easier it will be to finally bring about change. Just another day in South Dakota. Drive on!

  10. I’m very skeptical that there is ANYTHING wrong with the way elections are conducted in South Dakota. At best, this is all busywork.

  11. Secrecy and good government are oxymorons.

    This is what the deep state depends on.

    Bring it out in the open or we will know it is just more corruption.

  12. mOsT tRansParNeT AdmINisTratIoN eVeR.

    Did everyone forget this campaign promise??

  13. Yet, you voted for her….just because of the ‘R.’ should be proud of yourselves.

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