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William Denney
William Denney (Independence Party) ran for election for Minnesota Secretary of State. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Denney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Minnesota Secretary of State
Incumbent Steve Simon defeated John Howe and William Denney in the general election for Minnesota Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steve Simon (D) | 52.3 | 1,328,502 |
 | John Howe (R) | 43.6 | 1,109,093 | |
 | William Denney (Independence Party)  | 4.1 | 103,610 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 1,317 | ||
| Total votes: 2,542,522 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Steve Simon advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota Secretary of State.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. John Howe advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota Secretary of State.
Endorsements
Denney was endorsed in the race by the Independence Party of Minnesota.[1]
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
William Denney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Denney's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
I support common-sense electoral reforms such as the creation of an independent redistricting commission in Minnesota to mitigate the onslaught of gerrymandering and the expansion of the House of Representatives. We need to create more, and smaller, legislative districts, which will lead to more responsive representation. I would seek to implement a series of debates sponsored by the Secretary of State's office for all statewide races in the primary and general elections. I also support ranked-choice voting for all elections statewide. Ranked-choice voting can make our campaigns far more issue-driven and civil and eliminate the "spoiler" effect for independent and third-party candidates. It levels the playing field.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
My campaign is rooted in the ideals of civil discourse and statesmanship. Personal attacks on our political opponents only handcuff our ability to govern, once elected. And I believe the citizens of Minnesota are hungry for a more respectful state of conversation in the political sphere. The blood sport of American politics has left far too many voters feeling shut out and choosing to disengage from the system altogether. And it's hard to blame them with the constant mudslinging, negative attack ads, extremist partisan viewpoints, and inability to bring about any kind of simple compromise. We need to change that paradigm of polarization in this state and start recognizing that we are all Americans, we are all Minnesotans, and we all have something to offer. But we will only get there through a civil exploration of each other's ideas and mutual respect.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
The secretary of state's office is responsible for overseeing elections in Minnesota and operating the voter-registration system. It is my strong belief the office needs to remain independent of Democratic and Republican politics. In a perfect world, it would be nonpartisan. The referee should be neutral.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
| Minnesota | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
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State of Minnesota St. Paul (capital) |
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