As the Secretary of State in Louisiana, Kyle Ardoin’s day to day concerns as of late revolve around the current election cycle in the state. Early voting for the October 14th primary election has been taking place for almost two weeks now. Ardoin, a Republican, says voter turnout thus far has been relatively low.
“Early voting and absentee voting, it’s down a tad bit from 2019. You don’t feel the enthusiasm in the state that a gubernatorial race usually brings, so I’m kind of concerned that people may be a little complacent and not register their opinion at the polls,” Ardoin said.
Ardoin and his workers at the Secretary of State’s Office are responsible for a multitude of issues ranging from maintaining the state archives to issuing documents to start a business in the state. But the most notable responsibility for the Secretary of State is to oversee elections in Louisiana. Ardoin stepped into his role in 2018 after the previous Secretary of State, Tom Schedler, resigned in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal.
Ardoin then won a special election and a full term in 2019. Then came the 2020 Presidential election and the accusations of election fraud, not only in Louisiana but in many other states. In the three years that followed, those accusations persist and conspiracy theories about a compromised election security have grown. Also, within that time, Ardoin says he and members of his office have been the target of harassment and intimidation by people committed to the unfounded belief that the 2020 election was rife with fraud. Independent audits conducted found that Louisiana’s elections are soundly run. The results in Louisiana in 2020 show former President Donald Trump won the state by a large margin. The results also showed Republicans up and down the ticket won by big margins as well. Despite that, criticism and public scrutiny from predominantly Republican interest groups have clung to Ardoin these past few years. He told me the rampant lies about the integrity of the electoral process in Louisiana factored heavily into his decision to not seek reelection. It was a decision that was full of difficult emotions. Ardoin opened up about what took place with his family after he decided to step away from the office. Listen to our conversation here.
