It has been a privilege to work alongside the dedicated employees of the Clerk’s Office, and I am proud of

all we have accomplished together for the citizens of Kootenai County. I would be honored to continue

serving the citizens of Kootenai County for another term as County Clerk.

Appointed Chief Deputy Clerk of Kootenai County by former Clerk Jim Brannon in 2017, I served in this role

for six years before being elected as Kootenai County Clerk in 2022. Prior to my service in county

government, I founded and operated a small online business for eight years, selling a USA-manufactured

product to individual and corporate customers and fulfilling customized orders ranging from 100 to 1,300

units. I also hold a BA in Economics.

The Clerk’s Office oversees five departments — Auditor, District Court, Elections, Recorder, and County

Assistance — and is comprised of 106 employees. I possess the experience and knowledge to manage

106 employees, oversee the budget process, administer elections, and fulfill the diverse responsibilities of

the Clerk's Office successfully.

One of my top priorities has been the ongoing improvement of the County budget process, with special

emphasis on strengthening the analysis of annual revenue projections. The Auditor’s Office now conducts

detailed reviews of three-year revenue and expense trends for every department. Working closely with the

Board of County Commissioners, we have streamlined and enhanced the budget process each year,

resulting in greater transparency and more effective use of taxpayer dollars for Kootenai County residents.

Each year, my department heads and I review by line item the previous year's budgets before preparing the

next fiscal year's budget to study expense and revenue trends and either reduce expense line items or

increase revenues where we can. We monitor our budgets by line item throughout the year. I emphasize to

all my departments that we work for the taxpayers and citizens of Kootenai County. Our mission is to

operate efficiently and cost-effectively while delivering excellent customer service that best serves the

people of Kootenai County.

Election Integrity

As Clerk, I have spearheaded efforts to improve security and election processes in our County of over

110,000 registered voters. We will continue to live-stream on the County website so citizens can watch the

opening of absentee ballots, ballot counting, uploading of results, and the location where voted ballots are

secured and stored. In 2024, we also installed a dedicated camera over the Elections Office absentee drop

slot, where ballots are deposited and secured into a locked box inside the Elections building—this is the

only drop location for absentee ballots in the County.

The Elections Office has increased efficiency while managing more contested races, conducting elections

for 52 taxing districts, navigating increased complexity in elections and election laws, and experiencing

higher turnout. The department recruits and trains between 400 and 525 poll workers to staff 74 precincts

on Election Day.

Here are some state laws and requirements for conducting elections in Idaho. All Idaho counties conduct

voting on paper ballots. Proof of acceptable ID and proof of residence must be provided at the time of

registration or prior to casting a ballot. In Idaho, voters must request and complete an absentee ballot

application each new election year to receive an absentee ballot. When absentee ballots are returned to

the Elections Office, each signature on the return envelope is verified by a human eye and matched against

the voter registration signature on file; the signatures must match to be accepted. Idaho Code 34-2410(3)

states: No vote tally system shall be connected to the internet at any time, and no vote tally system shall

receive or transmit data through wireless communications.

Since 2022, the Secretary of State has been required to conduct audits of counties statewide for the May

Primary and November General Elections. In 2022, Kootenai County was selected for the audit of the May

and November Elections. Random precincts were drawn from the Secretary of State’s Office for each

audit, and over 2,100 ballots in the May Primary and over 2,400 ballots in the November Election were

audited. The results of the hand-tally audit of ballots cast in Kootenai County matched exactly the

tabulation results reported in both elections.

Elections and election laws continue to evolve, and the Elections Office has consistently adapted to these

changes with excellence. Election security, rigorous testing, thorough training, and maintaining a strict

chain of custody over ballots and election equipment will continue to be among our highest priorities