Adam Jones, Bismarck, letter: Mock challenged readers to not vote

BISMARCK — Secretary of State candidate Corey Mock wants to oversee the state’s elections, but he might not want North Dakotans to vote in them.

It sounds stranger than fiction. But in a March 7, 2007, column written for UND’s Dakota Student newspaper, Mock argued just that. Mock said students should “sit out” student-government elections. He sought to persuade his peers that they should “leave voting to the pros,” apparently as a way to stand up to the establishment.

Now, he wants voters to trust him to run elections for all of North Dakota.

Perhaps we could overlook these bizarre views from Mock if he had an alternate record of some kind. But the writings are from just three years ago, when he still was a student at UND.

Mock’s work experience since then has been limited, and he spent just two years in the Legislature.

It’s telling, then, that Mock has chosen to wage a negative campaign for the secretary of state office, ruthlessly attacking the incumbent Al Jaeger and distorting Jaeger’s record to stay relevant.

Mock can’t talk about his own record and accomplishments. He doesn’t have any.

Mock should stop his false attacks on Jaeger and start explaining his own record and qualifications.

Otherwise, it’s only natural to ask: Why is a candidate who opposes voting running for secretary of state?

Adam Jones

Jones is executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party.

Tags: in the mail, corey mock, elections 2010, nd secretary of state, dakota student, opinion, politics