By Ed Tibbetts | Thursday, August 14, 2008
A Davenport man who says he wants to raise awareness about dangers to the integrity of the country’s voting process says he is running for Scott County auditor.
Michael Elliott, 32, of 1906 W. 3rd St., has been circulating petitions to run for the office as an Independent. Already, the Republicans and Democrats have nominated candidates.
Elliott, who runs a computer electronics company out of his home, said he intends to focus his campaign on the need for appropriate checks on the collection and tabulation of votes.
“There’s a lot of ways the system can be manipulated,” he said.
Elliott said Iowa’s election system is clean but that it must safeguard against encroachments that could damage its credibility.
In recent years, especially since the disputed 2000 presidential election, critics have raised questions about the country’s patchwork of election laws and systems. For the most part, state statutes govern the means of electing people for local, state and federal offices.
“Specifically, we’re looking to have somebody run in the auditor position who is liberty minded,” said Elliott, who county records say is a registered Republican.
He also was a volunteer leader in Scott County for Ron Paul’s bid for president. Paul ran as a Republican.
The county auditor’s seat is open this election following the death in April of longtime incumbent Karen Fitzsimmons.
The county Republican Party has nominated former Davenport Alderman Steve Ahrens to run for the office, while Democrats chose Scott County Supervisor Roxanna Moritz.
The auditor’s office, in addition to supervising elections, also is the clerk to the county board.
The deadline for independent candidates to file is Aug. 27. Elliott hadn’t yet collected the requisite number of signatures to get on the ballot but said he will do so by the deadline. Two-hundred and fifty signatures are required.
Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.
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