Plain Talk

367: Sec. of State candidates debate election integrity, voting, and transparency


Listen Later

Election integrity is a hot-button issue. Rancor continues around the outcome of the 2020 election, with many claiming that, at least nationally, former President Donald Trump was cheated out of another term in the White House by fraud. North Dakota election officials have been flooded with open records requests from people seeking information to prove conspiracy theories about the election.

As it happens, North Dakota's top election official is on the ballot this cycle. Long-serving incumbent Republican Al Jaeger isn't running for another seat. State Rep. Michael Howe, a Republican, and Mayville State University administration Jeffrey Powell, a Democrat, are running to replace him. They joined this episode of Plain Talk for a debate about the issues in this campaign, along with my co-host, former Democratic-NPL executive director Chad Oban.

An independent candidate, Charles Tuttle, has filed signatures to be on the ballot in this race. I made the decision not to include him in this discussion because it's my feeling, given his long history of erratic behavior, and the probability that he'll draw a very low number of votes, his participation wouldn't have been a productive use of our time.

"We haven't seen any problems with the integrity of our elections" in North Dakota, Howe said during the debate, though he said that whoever wins this election needs to "gain the public's trust back."

"People get caught up in the cable news cycle. They see things that aren't related to North Dakota," Howe added.

Powell agreed though he pressed Howe on the fact that much of the questioning of election outcomes is coming from the right. Howe responded by pointing out that Democrats have questioned election results in the past as well.

Both candidates agreed that many aspects of the Secretary of State's online services - from accessing campaign finance reports to making business filings - need to be modernized and made more user-friendly. Powell said that while much of the information on things like voting and running for office on the Secretary of State's website currently was accurate, it's presented in an out-dated way.

Asked if they would support more rigorous reporting requirements for candidates, Powell said he would require that candidates leverage online tools to make reports almost real-time. "I want it to be live and accurate," he said. Howe was more non-committal. "I don't know if it's going to solve any problems or if we're going to glean any new information, but sure," he said.

The candidates also discussed what it's like to campaign in a very angry, divided political environment, the controversy over a term limits ballot measure that was dismissed from the ballot by the incumbent before being restored by the state Supreme Court, and some of the Secretary of State's other duties, such as serving on the Land Board and the Emergency Commission.

Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Consider subscribing on the podcast platform of your choice.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Plain TalkBy Forum Communications Co.

  • 3.8
  • 3.8
  • 3.8
  • 3.8
  • 3.8

3.8

78 ratings


More shows like Plain Talk

View all
The Art of Manliness by The Art of Manliness

The Art of Manliness

14,226 Listeners

The MeatEater Podcast by MeatEater

The MeatEater Podcast

37,884 Listeners

The Ben Shapiro Show by The Daily Wire

The Ben Shapiro Show

153,416 Listeners

Bison Media Zone by Forum Communications Co.

Bison Media Zone

19 Listeners

Kolpack and Izzo Podcast by Forum Communications Co.

Kolpack and Izzo Podcast

24 Listeners

Fore Play by Barstool Sports

Fore Play

10,421 Listeners

News & Views with Joel Heitkamp by MWC

News & Views with Joel Heitkamp

41 Listeners

The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg by The Dispatch

The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

6,380 Listeners

Dizzo's Den by Forum Communications Co.

Dizzo's Den

7 Listeners

Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness by MWC

Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness

6 Listeners

Dakota Spotlight by James Wolner

Dakota Spotlight

836 Listeners

Cal of the Wild by MeatEater

Cal of the Wild

9,627 Listeners

Agweek Podcast by Forum Communications Co.

Agweek Podcast

8 Listeners

The Dispatch Podcast by The Dispatch

The Dispatch Podcast

3,162 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

8,909 Listeners

The Megyn Kelly Show by SiriusXM

The Megyn Kelly Show

38,290 Listeners

Ruthless Podcast by Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook

Ruthless Podcast

5,639 Listeners

Huskies Hockey Insider by Forum Communications Co.

Huskies Hockey Insider

1 Listeners

Post Bulletin Minute by Forum Communications Co.

Post Bulletin Minute

4 Listeners

Grand Forks Herald Minute by Forum Communications Co.

Grand Forks Herald Minute

5 Listeners

The Other Side of the Table by Forum Communications Co

The Other Side of the Table

7 Listeners

The Health Variant by Forum Communications Co.

The Health Variant

6 Listeners

Health Fusion by Forum Communications Co.

Health Fusion

3 Listeners

The Vault by Forum Communications Co.

The Vault

71 Listeners

WDAY Sports Minute by Forum Communications Co.

WDAY Sports Minute

1 Listeners

Brainerd Dispatch Minute by Forum Communications Co.

Brainerd Dispatch Minute

6 Listeners

Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar by iHeartPodcasts

Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

9,535 Listeners

Morning Wire by The Daily Wire

Morning Wire

26,443 Listeners

Mitchell Republic Minute by Forum Communications Co.

Mitchell Republic Minute

1 Listeners

Echo Press Minute by Thalen Zimmerman

Echo Press Minute

0 Listeners

Archive Dive with the Superior Telegram by Forum Communications Co.

Archive Dive with the Superior Telegram

5 Listeners

Northland Outdoors by Forum Communications Co.

Northland Outdoors

4 Listeners

Growing Together: A Gardening Podcast by Forum Communications Co.

Growing Together: A Gardening Podcast

20 Listeners

Matters of Soul Importance with Roxane Salonen by Roxane Salonen

Matters of Soul Importance with Roxane Salonen

6 Listeners

She Overcomes: Becoming BOLD with Melanie Rudd by Melanie Iverson Rudd

She Overcomes: Becoming BOLD with Melanie Rudd

5 Listeners