Monday, May 07, 2018

Rutherford touts experience for Indiana secretary of state


What: Attorney Mark W. Rutherford announces his candidacy for Indiana secretary of state
Contact: Mark W. Rutherford at 317-809-9000 or rutherfordlibertarian.com

Rutherford touts experience
for Indiana secretary of state
Attorney, activist seeks Libertarian nomination

Attorney Mark W. Rutherford brings a diverse skill set in his bid to become Indiana’s next secretary of state.

“My professional experience in business and elections suit the primary duties for the secretary of state office. Plus, I have the drive to remove needless, artificial government barriers that do more to reward favored groups than to help everyday Hoosiers,” Rutherford said a news conference Jan. 18 at the Columbia Club, Indianapolis.

Rutherford will seek the Libertarian nomination at the party’s May 4-6 convention. His experience checks the boxes that voters expect for the position that oversees elections, business services, and securities.

Experience in state government: Check.

Rutherford is chairman of the Indiana Public Defender Commission. Former Gov. Mitch Daniels appointed Rutherford in 2007 to the board, and the Libertarian became chairman soon afterward. Gov. Eric Holcomb reappointed Rutherford to the board.

Experience in small-business: Check.

As an attorney with Thrasher Buschmann & Voelkel, PC in Indianapolis, his firm helps businesses of all sizes navigate the law. Rutherford’s heart is with small business - the firm itself is a small business, he added. “Small businesses encounter enough challenges. They need simplicity when dealing with the Secretary of State office.”

Experience with Indiana election law: Check.


“Too often, we have coronations in place of true elections. Not one of Indiana’s nine congressional districts will be competitive this year. Not one. The Statehouse is no better. Last election, a third of statehouse seats saw no major-party opposition. In the previous three terms, four out of ten seats went unopposed,” Rutherford said. “When redistricting comes during this term, I will push for nonpolitical redistricting boards – not the Statehouse’s party leaders – to create districts that respect communities.”

Secretary of state votes determine ballot access in Indiana. A party’s candidate must get at least 2 percent of the vote to secure automatic ballot access as a minor party, a status the Libertarian Party of Indiana has maintained since 1994. Rutherford is aiming to get 10 percent, which would put the party into the primary system.

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