by Jamie Reitenour

Under the Indiana Constitution, the Secretary of State is a statewide elected administrative officer serving a four-year term, whose constitutional role is largely custodial and ministerial—maintaining official state records and performing duties “as may be enjoined by law.” The Indiana Code then defines the office’s operative authority, designating the Secretary of State as Indiana’s chief election officer, with statutory oversight responsibilities carried out through the Indiana Election Division, the Indiana Election Commission, and coordination with county election boards. In addition, state law assigns the Secretary of State broad regulatory authority over businesses operating in Indiana, including business entity filings, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings governing secured transactions, and securities regulation through the Securities Division. The office is therefore both the state’s chief elections authority by law and the primary gatekeeper for lawful business activity—an office that demands focus, discipline, and fidelity to the Constitution, of which I will provide.

This campaign is not just about legislation. It is about restoring the constitutional role of the Secretary of State. The Indiana Constitution created this office for a reason. Elections are not merely administrative tasks. They are the foundation of the Republic. That is why the Constitution entrusted election oversight to an officer by the people – not to unelected boards, not to appointed commissions, and not to private systems outside public control. Over time, that authority has been fragmented by statute. Decision making has been dispersed to bodies the Constitution never created. Accountability has been diluted. And when authority is scattered, trust disappears.

Ballot secrecy is paramount to the preservation of the Republic. A ballot is not just anonymous-it is sovereign. No ballot, ballot image, ballot data, or ballot interpretation should ever be given over to any private entity or non-state actor at any time. Ballots must remain in the exclusive care of the State of Indiana, enforced by its elected constitutional officer – the Secretary of State. As Secretary of State, I will not accuse. I will not challenge lawful results. I will seek constitutional clarity. I will restore accountability. And I will return the Secretary of State’s office to the role the Constitution intended it to have – protecting the vote, preserving the chain of custody, and ensuring elections remain under the care of officers elected by the people. If you believe ballots should never leave the care of the State, if you believe constitutional authority should rest where the Constitution placed it – then I ask for your support. Together, we will return Indiana’s Secretary of State to its constitutional authority and restore trust in the most sacred act of self-government.

PHASE 1
Jamie Reitenour is happy to endorse Indiana House Representative for District 50, Lorissa Sweet and thankful for the filing of HOUSE BILL 1166, the Donald Trump Election Bill. 
Representative Sweet filed House Bill 1166. The bill received its First Reading and was referred to the House Committee on Elections and Apportionment. The committee COULD have heard the bill and voted it out, amend it, but they allowed it to DIE IN COMMITTEE.

PHASE 2
If elected Next year HB 1166 will return to the election committee. We will push for it to be voted out of committee and take names of who does not help in this way. Once the bill makes it to the House floor it will (future hope), receive a Second Reading, where amendments may be offered and debated.

PHASE 3
Following Second Reading, the bill advances to Third Reading, at which time the Indiana House votes by roll call. If a majority of House members vote in favor, HB 1166 is sent to the Indiana Senate, where the same committee and reading process occurs.

PHASE 4
If both the House and Senate pass HB 1166 in the same form, the bill is sent to the Governor for signature, completing the legislative process.

“Unlike the current administration, as Secretary of State I will not let constitutional election legislation backed by the people go unanswered.”- Jamie Reitenour