Why is Linda the best choice for Montana Secretary of State?
I voted for the first time when I was a senior in high school. Before going off to vote, my parents talked to me about the issues that would be before me, as did my friends and my boyfriend.
When I walked into that voting booth for the very first time and closed the curtain, I knew it was my responsibility as to how I would vote, not my parents…not my friends. I knew the decisions were mine and the consequences of those decisions were also mine. I realized that in the voting booth, we are all equal. Everyone's vote carries the same power…the power of ordinary citizens exercising their constitutional rights and responsibilities.
It was a feeling I have never forgotten. It’s what sends me to my polling place each Election Day, whether it’s the election for the President or the local school board.
I have had two passions in my work life—the education of Montana’s children and fair and honest elections.
For six years I served as a Legislator in the Montana House of Representatives. I represented the folks in my Legislative District and made laws that helped all Montanans.
For two terms as the Superintendent of Public Instruction, I have supervised K-12 education in Montana. Montanans have trusted me to manage the largest state budget in Montana government – about 45% of the total state budget – a billion and a half dollars a biennium. I have done this with perfect or near perfect audits.
I have overseen Montana's 825 schools in 425 school districts serving our 144,418 public school students. I have been responsible for the licensing of over 25,000 teachers. I have effectively and efficiently ran an office with 150 good folks, from school finance to FFA to Indian Education to special education to No Child Left Behind. I have been a strong advocate for the education of Montana’s children in the public forum and at the Legislature.
At the end of my term as State Superintendent, I would like to carry my passion for the elections process into the Secretary of State’s office.
It is essential that voters of all ages, all political parties, be aware of the impact and importance of their vote. Montana voters must be comfortable in their knowledge of the issues before them. Information is power and the Secretary of State as Montana’s chief elections officer is responsible for disseminating that information.
I will be a passionate and enthusiastic advocate for Montana’s elections. It will be my mission to engage Montanans in their elections process and to keep them informed.
2006 was a real turning point for young voter participation. For the first time in years significant numbers of young Montanans voted. The issues debated in the U.S. Senate race motivated large numbers of young Montanans to participate in the campaigns and vote. The high youth vote was also due the expanded use of mail ballots for absentee voting and the ability to register and vote on Election Day.
We need to capitalize on this renewed young voter participation and interest. If we are serious about encouraging all our voters to vote, we need to take advantage of these new election reforms and make sure the local election offices have the resources necessary to deal with the increase in the number of voters using mail ballots and Election Day voting.
It should be the fundamental goal of Montana's Secretary of State to make it easier, not more difficult for Montanans to exercise their right to vote.
Voters who consistently vote often started voting at a young age, just as I did. As Secretary of State, I will actively reach out to young voters – college age students and high school students. After taking office, I will begin a youth vote project that targets both of these audiences, utilizing locally elected officials, from Clerks and Recorders to Legislators to County and City Commissioners to and School Board Trustees.
Engaging in the elections process, whether it’s talking to elected officials or volunteering on a campaign is a powerful step to becoming a lifelong and engaged voter.
Finding elections judges for each election is becoming more and more difficult. For the next Legislative Session I will request the introduction of a bill allowing Montana High School students to serve as Precinct Election Judges. It’s a win for the student, as well as for the elections process in Montana.
But it’s not enough to engage new voters just as they are becoming eligible to vote. Kids need to grow up knowing why democracy and elections are important. They need to know why civics and citizenship is important and how the electoral process impacts our everyday lives.
I will begin a nonpartisan civics awareness project for Fifth Graders, patterned after my Food for the Mind nutrition awareness project. Students will be able to take home for a week at a time to read and share with their parents a canvas bag filled with information and books on civics, elections information, materials originating in Montana and nationally. The bag of information will be designed to be both informative and fun.
And, I won’t stop with the youth vote. To further the business of the Secretary of State’s office I will utilize citizen councils to develop more effective ways to do the business of the office. An Election Advisory Council will be appointed to make recommendations regarding more efficiency in the elections process.
A Business Advisory Council will be appointed to recommend more business friendly and effective ways to register businesses as required of the Secretary of State.
As Secretary of State I will continue my eight years of work on the State Land Board. We need to continue to manage those 5.2 million acres of state lands in a manner that generates ongoing revenue for the benefit of current students and generations to come.
Every year thousands of Montanans depend on state school trust lands for first class recreational opportunities. We need to continue to work to insure public access to state school trust lands.
I will be actively engaged as Montana’s Secretary of State, whether it’s overseeing elections, serving on the State Land Board, managing the State’s records and Administrative Rules, and creating a friendly place for a new business to get their start.
I have a lifetime of commitment to public service.
I enjoy working with folks of all ages. My 20 years as an elementary school teacher and school librarian was a love of learning and passing that on to my students. My six years serving in the Montana House of Representatives gave me a chance to broaden my public service to adults around the state, affecting laws that we all live by. As Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction I have combined my love of learning with a responsibility to the people of Montana to build the best public education system in our State. I value being responsible and accountable to all the people in Montana.
I have always believed that I can make a difference. More importantly, I have always believed that everyone can make a difference. As Montana’s Secretary of State I will be devoted to informing voters of all ages and all political parties that they can make a difference – that one vote does count. Your vote does count.
With your help and that of the folks across Montana, I will succeed. Thank you.
