Idaho Secretary of State election, 2014

Taxes I really do not mind paying my fair share of taxes. Our total tax structure should be fair and equitable as well as stable. We need to not only expect – but demand – that our elected officials utilize our tax dollars wisely and efficiently.

Budget & Spending As a fiscal conservative, I am thankful that Idaho has a constitution that mandates that we balance our budget each year. It would be too easy to say ‘yes’ to all the budget requests that are brought before the legislature each year, only to find ourselves operating in the red or having to make deeper cuts to programs and services. We have to be mindful that we have to be accountable. Raising taxes is not the right answer. ^[11]

I deeply believe that the greatest investment Idaho can make in economic competitiveness is through education. Yet there is also much we can do to make our state more business friendly. Simplified business licensing, easy-to-navigate online filings and state agencies with a commitment to can-do, problem-solving business assistance are a low-cost way to start. Seamless partnerships with the Idaho Tax Commission, the Department of Commerce and Bureau of Occupational Licenses (just to name a few) will help small businesses navigate the system and get down to the business of serving customers faster. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and we need to help them in every way possible, every day. Less paperwork, more service. ^[11]

I believe that we need to do everything possible to assure our children access to a good education. I also believe that the responsibility for seeing that children avail themselves of that education lies with parents – not the government. The future of our state and our country depends on sound and responsible education of our children. ^[11]

There is no more important issue than education in Idaho. We rank dead last in the country in education spending per child. Only 35% of our children have access to pre-school or educational daycare when the national average is almost 50%. Only one in ten of our high school freshmen eventually graduates from college. Which also makes us dead last in college attendance too. This is not putting us on track to fill or attract the skilled jobs our modern economy needs right now. And every year Idaho falls a little further behind.

That is nothing to be proud of. It’s an urgent problem that needs an even more urgent solution.

The Secretary of State is one of five members of the Idaho Land Board, which has a constitutional obligation to administer state lands for the long-term public good. One of the specific beneficiaries is our public schools—which over the years have been starved of millions of dollars from the Land Board. All of us are looking for ways to make our schools better That’s why as Secretary of State I will push to use excess revenue from the Land Board to reinvest in our schools so that we can attract more businesses and good-paying jobs to Idaho. ^[11]

We were very fortunate for many years to have strong nonpartisan advocates—Democrat and Republican—as our Secretaries of State. They did a great job putting fairness and the interests of the people first because they recognized that voting is a fundamental freedom where partisan and special interest politics have no place. In their view, ensuring that our elections are easy, fair and open was a moral responsibility they were sworn to protect.

And that is exactly how I look at it too. I’m running for Secretary of State because your freedom to vote should not be infringed by anyone’s agenda at any time. Voting should be easy, fair and open, period. That’s what I signed up for when I registered to vote for the first time and that’s what I want for my children and my grand children. Easy, fair and open voting for all eligible voters. ^[11]