Submitted
Republican candidate for Indiana Secretary of State Jamie Reitenour announced the expansion of her campaign leadership team while continuing to call for fair and equal media access for all candidates in the statewide race.
Reitenour announced the appointment of Jacque Cansler as Communications Director and Danessa Mortenson as Campaign Director for the Reitenour for Secretary of State campaign as the statewide effort continues expanding grassroots engagement with delegates and voters across Indiana.
“Jacque Cansler will help ensure our campaign communicates directly with the press and with delegates and voters across Indiana,” Reitenour said. “Hoosiers deserve to hear from every candidate seeking statewide office, and fair access to information is essential to the integrity of our elections.”
Danessa Mortenson will serve as Campaign Director, overseeing campaign operations, grassroots mobilization, and organizational development as the campaign continues its outreach across Indiana.
“Danessa Mortenson brings strength, organization, and dedication to the mission of empowering Hoosiers,” Reitenour said. “Our campaign is focused on engaging the people of Indiana directly, and Danessa’s leadership will help ensure we continue building a strong grassroots movement across all 92 counties.”
The campaign also raised concerns about uneven media coverage in statewide races. Reitenour pointed to her experience during the 2024 Republican gubernatorial primary, when she says she was excluded from debates while other candidates were allowed to participate.
“When a ballot-qualified candidate is excluded from debates, surveys, or public communications distributed to voters, it raises serious concerns about fairness and transparency for communications that reference candidates or influence election outcomes under the Federal Election Campaign Act (52 U.S.C. §30101), including reporting requirements for public communications and related expenditures,” Reitenour said.
Reitenour stated that her campaign will continue monitoring media coverage and any communications that intentionally misconstrue the facts.
“As a candidate for Secretary of State – the office given the title ‘chief election officer’ – I will not run for that office and ignore conduct that interferes with fair elections or denies voters full information about their choices,” Reitenour said.
Reitenour also noted that in 1995 Indiana law shifted significant election authority away from the duly elected Secretary of State to the Indiana Election Commission and the Indiana Election Division. These two quasi-governing bodies now exercise substantial authority over Indiana elections – including administration, certification, rulemaking, enforcement actions, and the adjudication of election disputes – while the elected Secretary of State has limited authority to alter or overrule those determinations. Members of these entities are appointed by the governor.
Reitenour said the structure raises a fundamental constitutional question: can the legislature delegate core election authority away from an elected constitutional officer to unelected bodies that are not directly accountable to the electorate?
“Elections are a fundamental right,” Reitenour said. “When authority over the administration and adjudication of elections is delegated to unelected bodies insulated from voters, Hoosiers deserve to ask whether that structure respects the spirit and accountability required by our Constitution.”
“The people believe the Secretary of State’s office has been given the authority to protect the integrity of Indiana’s elections,” Reitenour added. “That integrity begins with transparency, equal access, and respect for the Rule of Law – also known as the Supreme Law – which is our Constitution.”
Reitenour has told delegates she is committed to restoring confidence in Indiana’s election system and giving elections back to “We the People.”
“Models for precinct-level hand counting of paper ballots have been developed by organizations such as Indiana First Action and have also been reflected in proposed legislation before the Indiana General Assembly calling for secure hand-marked, watermarked paper ballots counted at the precinct.
“No more expensive machines with third parties holding the source code in escrow. We want paper ballots with watermarks, precinct voting, and precinct-level hand counting,” Reitenour said. “Paper ballot systems are widely used in states like Missouri, which uses paper ballots with manual audits, and in countries such as France, where national elections are conducted with paper ballots that are counted by hand in a single night. Hoosiers being involved in their elections is healthy and wise.”
The Reitenour campaign continues traveling across the state, meeting with grassroots organizations, delegates, and community leaders, and will announce upcoming town halls as Hoosiers prepare to elect Republican delegates in the May primary ahead of the June 19 and 20 Republican State Convention, where the Republican nominee for Secretary of State will be chosen.