Letter to the Editor: What are they hiding?

Freedom of speech hits home in New Rockford. Chairman Dave Gehrtz of the New Rockford County Commission has denied Committee members of District 14 Republican Party Larry Danduran, Jason Steidl and Chairman Bill Kuntz to address the commission regarding a hardware issue with our absentee ES&S 450 voting machines. I showed up early for the Dec. 5 meeting to find out why we were denied the opportunity to address the commission.

I, Larry Danduran, resident of Eddy Co have served as past member of St. John’s Parish Council, New Rockford Park Board, Airport Authority, Community Betterment Board, City Commission and now current committee member serving as 2nd Vice Chair of District 14 Republican Party. I’ve also served as a judge in the last two election cycles in Eddy County.

County Auditor Patty Williams received word that I had requested to be on the agenda. As I understand it, Mrs. Williams threatened to quit if we were allowed to address the commission. Chairman Dave Gehrtz was on the phone while the other commissioners were present. The commissioners asked if we would consider attending a special meeting at a future date. I agreed and a special meeting was set up for Dec. 11 at 8:30 a.m.

Upon leaving the Eddy County Courthouse, I witnessed Auditor, Patty Williams saying, “I quit, I can't deal with this.” Three days later, I was informed that we were removed from the Dec. 11 meeting agenda.

We believe this should be of grave concern to all constituents of Eddy Co. We are not pointing fingers at the conduct of any of our county auditors or claiming any election fraud. We are not trying to illustrate some conspiracy theory but rather looking to point out a tangible concern that our absentee ballot machines can be turned on and off after going through a detailed locking process. The North Dakota Century Code 16.1-06-14, Requirement for Voting Systems, paragraph 5 states, “Be provided with a procedure by the use of which, immediately after the polls are closed, all voting is prevented.”

The fact that these machines don’t meet this requirement should alarm both Auditor Patty Williams and Commissioner David Gehrtz, let alone the Secretary of State’s office. The intent of the meeting was purely informative and to give the auditor and commissioners an opportunity to look further into the matter and decide if any action is needed. Which brings up the question: why is Mrs. Williams threatening to quit if we are allowed to address the commission and why is Chairman David Gehrtz denying us access to address the commission? I contacted Commissioner Dave Gehrtz after receiving word of the agenda change and he stated that he was advised by Erika White, Secretary of State Elections Director and Ashley Lies, Eddy County State’s Attorney not to allow us to address the Commission. I then reached out to Director Erika White. At the conclusion of my first of two visits with Director White, she agreed to take a closer look at my concern and get back with me. After waiting a few days with no contact from Director White, I began to try and reach her by phone calls and email. Director White finally took my call. My two questions of her were, “... did you get a chance to look at my concern.” to which she stated yes. My second question was a simple yes or no. “Can the machines be turned on and off without cutting the security tag, unlocking and opening the door," to which she refused answer. I asked the question several times during the call and she consistently refused to answer the simple yes or no question. I’ve since reached out to the press and KFYR hosts Daryl Lies and Trent Loos. They have given me a platform to share this concern. My hope is that all North Dakotans be informed of this security issue and ask the same question of our elected and appointed officials.

Larry Danduran

District 14 Republican Party 2nd Vice Chairman

New Rockford, N.D.