The Davison County Auditor who cited harassment and abuse as a problem that rural county auditors face as a pressing issue has herself now resigned from office to take a job in the private sector. Back in February, Davison County Auditor Susan Kiepke had written an article for the National Association of County Officials pointing out some of the issues that she has to deal with on a day to day basis:
I never know when folks will show up to try to convince our commissioners that the DS850 scanner and tabulator that we use to count ballots has a microchip in it that feeds information to Russia.
We have to dispel other misinformation. It has been alleged that CVRs (Cast Vote Records), as well as audit logs aren’t proprietary, which they currently are in South Dakota.
We’ve been accused of not being bonded properly, not being insured properly, not being transparent.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
According to KELOland News, the crazy and the harassment has been never ending. And Susan is tapping out:
Kiepke said the claims of the 2024 June Primary being skewed are false. She added her office dealt with people on a regular basis claiming the results were wrong.
“We just had our first post-election audit in Davison County and it came out 100% accurate and we are still being told that it was done wrong,” Kiepke said.
and..
Kiepke said while her time of being employed at the county is coming to an end, she doesn’t plan on going anywhere.
“The new company will allow me to continue to help at the county wherever I’m needed, so I’ll be around,” Kiepke said.
What does it say about the state of our society when the people we hire to run our elections are doing everything right – yet they are constantly harassed and hounded out of their jobs from doing the exact thing they’ve been hired to do?
Maybe someday we’ll come back from the brink.
Trump embraced and empowered the stupid. This is what you get. They are already doing the same for the next election and likely setting up another insurrection attempt. They are a bunch of sore losers like their Russian friends.
These groups, through their badgering and anti government rhetoric, will cause the county consolidation they dread. Then when state and local leaders step in to clean up the mess, these same groups will attack them and call them ‘communists’
Unfortunately, I think we will see more of this in the future. There are two main people behind this. Pollema and Tod Gohl. Pollema runs with anything she hears and doesn’t care at all about what the facts actually are. If you haven’t heard of Gohl yet, ask any auditor.
[editor’s note, I’m going to redact this statement -pp]
He has been emailing every auditor in the state telling them they are breaking the law and flat out harassing them. Yet he also claimed that counties didn’t need to have the handicap voting machines, even though they are required by state and federal law, because there are “other laws” protecting the handicapped. He thinks he is the smartest person in every room he walks into yet lacks a basic understanding of the law. These two, and the rest of Pollema’s minions, are making life a living hell for every auditor in our state except for Anderson. Its sad. It really is.
Rick Weible is also a huge part of the problem
I agree. But he is at least somewhat polite to people. The other two, not so much.
More of the same if Trump is elected. If he wins he will attempt to change things to enhance his thoughts and opinions, and the uninformed and unknowing will continue to plead for something they do not understand and have a complete lack of knowledge of. If trump loses there will be another insidious insurrection, which will lead to world lack of respect for the United States and democracy. Either way the voters and citizens of the U.S. will be the ultimate losers. One way or the other we will all be able to praise trump for his lack of responsible leadership and the loss of respect from the rest of the world.
Sad commentary, but that is the way things are heading for the future, unless responsibility and leadership somehow surface within the trump campaign organization.
Thank goodness we have the smartest person in the world posting here.
Good for her. I wish the media didn’t stop sort of pointing out that this nonsense started with 45. “And frankly, we DID win this election.”
No you didn’t.
If we empowered the Auditor and maybe a few others to be able to use rubber bats, or perhaps short hoses, on the media and other idiots, it might reduce some of this insanerism.
Yes, grudznick advocates for slapping some people on the buttocks with rubber hoses. You do too.
I do have to admit enjoying a little schadenfreude at the expense of the establishment types who decry this sort of election conspiracy nonsense while still supporting the man who is the epicenter of them all. I guess it is easier to talk about your principles than live up to them. At least Enquirer exhibits some integrity in this regard.
Thanks Trump Party
Dump Vance!
Trump/Santos 2024
These election deniers and right wing types don’t appreciate the expense counties with high auditor turnover experience due to the lack of institutional knowledge within that office. Just look at Walworth, Bennett, Meade, Buffalo…. Minnehaha would also make the list but they’ve so far managed to preserve the staff who actually do the real work. These groups cry about wanting local control but high auditor turnover will cause county problems. In the end the county will have to focus on their own books and staffing problems, they won’t have the time or money to chase after the pet projects these people insist on.
Trump lost, get over it, children…
We’ll only change this trajectory if both sides try to understand the underlying motives or rationale for the other, become more respectful of each other, and have the maturity to sometimes just agree to disagree and let the votes fall where they do.
This bickering and pointing fingers makes you all look stupid. And, remember it is the bigger person who makes the first move over and over until the other side comes to trust in your sincerity.
The other side calls anyone who disagrees with them “The Deep State” and they still fervently claim the election was stolen. I havent met a single one who displayed actual willingness to listen to contrary facts amd evidence. Not a single one. Stop “both sides’ing” this issue as if everyone at the table behaves like adults. They dont. Look at the destruction they’ve wrought on the State GOP’s financials.
Both sides, though, right?
You think your response is “adult-like?”
ahhh yes, the establishment has acted impeccably, truthful, respectful, with integrity and done nothing to deserve the lack of trust so many people have with them like cronyism or elitism.
What you reference (stolen election charge, division in the party and lack of donors) are the consequences of a loss of trust in the establishment.
Enhanced and promoted by a single side and current presidential candidate with no proof or facts yo back up the lies. Congrats.
Keep going…the lack of trust was a result of Trump’s lies, and yet the establishment supports Trump who continues to lie, and so they’re in this position and so we watch and eat 🍿.
OK. The establishment bears no responsibility and have been perfect.
BTW, Trump won the primary in 2016 over a host of establishment candidates BECAUSE the trust had already eroded.
You keep thinking symptoms are the cause. Your lack of self-awareness is frankly Hillary-esque.
He also actively helped erode that trust by claiming Ted Cruz won the Iowa primary by fraud in 2016. Seriously, go look it up. The man is shameless.
Trump is a symptom of what the establishment did to erode trust in party leadership. Until you see YOUR role in the situation you abhor, it will continue to deteriorate.
In the meantime, you’ll have jungle primaries written in stone in the Constitution, irrelevant conventions, and no grass roots commitment (financial or volunteer) to the party.
But, you’ll still be able to rant about Trump. Talk about wackadoodle.
Not one time did you admit a single thing Trump has done wrong. Not once. Take your own medicine and then we will talk.
Weird!
Yap about Trump and admit no culpability will get you more of the same.
I am a recovered former member of the establishment who finds those you abhor equally part of the problem.
I am waiting for the adult to step up and admit they have a problem and commit to work on themselves. Both sides are like drunks, all their problems are because of the other guy. Frankly, you are all (both sides) immature and deserve what you are getting.
Step up and merit your leadership or just go away.
This idiot: don’t point out the bad things Trump does! That’s not extending an olive branch to people who call you the deep state and insinuate people they don’t like are pedophiles! WHAT ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS?!?!
You are so damn disingenuous it hurts.
This anti election group’s goals keep changing. Plus when they are given a compromise (SB40 that would’ve allowed CVRs and ballot images) it’s not good enough and they testify against it
I could go on but you get it, they’ll never be satisfied there will always be another ‘thing’. Auditors in the mean time will find better jobs.
Whoop SB48 would’ve allowed for ballot images and CVRs not 40
i personally am anticipating great fun watching how the red states certify the results for their state and congress candidates, but not the presidential election.
“An audit is a structured, methodical process that includes an examination.” — The Dictionary