Article Photos

MARSHALL - Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie spoke Wednesday to those attending American Legion Boys State, stressing civic engagement and explaining what his office does.

"It was very interesting," said Collin Hoover of Marshall. "I didn't really know what he does and what his department does - how much they have to do with the election process."

"He was good," said Christian Klein of Marshall. "It was interesting to learn about everything he does in his job. I actually didn't know they did all of the stuff with adoptions in the secretary of state office."

"I thought it was a good speech," said Dylan Demuth of Marshall. "I found it interesting to learn what all the secretary of state does, all the business they took care of, especially adoption papers for foreign adoptions."

"The secretary of state is part of the state government," Ritchie said. "At the most fundamental, our job is to encourage people to be involved."

Ryan Vesey of Windom asked if Ritchie's office deals with adoptions.

Ritchie explained that international adoptions require an apostille and "our office is the provider of that," he said. "It's one of the more fun things my office does."

Sam Kemp of Buffalo asked Ritchie what his office does.

"Two-thirds of the staff" deals with business, Ritchie said. When a new business is created, people must file it with the state. "Every year, all the businesses refile," he added.

The second thing his office does is oversee advisory committees.

"Our office is the paperwork capitol," Ritchie said.

All official state documents are cared for by the secretary of state's office.

"Our office is home for state documents," Ritchie said.

It also runs Safe at Home, which is a confidential address program for people who have been victims of domestic violence or stalking or need protection for other reasons. About 500 people in Minnesota are in the program, Ritchie said.

Lincoln Yellick of Lester Prairie asked what influenced Ritchie to become secretary of state.

He had always worked on agriculture and business development, Ritchie said, "and grew concerned with how the laws affected rural economies" so he created the League of Rural Voters.

"In that process, I became aware that the secretary of state could involve more people from greater Minnesota," he said.

"I started running two years before the election," he said. "By that process, I made friends and connections and learned what people wanted from the secretary of state. I had to make sure I was true to myself and my values. People are listening to your ideas, but also for your values."

One thing Minnesotans value is voting.

"Minnesota is the highest voting state in the nation; has been for a long time," Ritchie said, adding that Minneapolis is the lowest voting area in the state.

"Red Lake is special," he said. "The whole reservation votes in the 90th percent range. Hermantown also votes in the 90th percentile."

He asked people in Red Lake and in Hermantown why that is.

"This woman (in Red Lake) answered that as a community, they were very dedicated to the nation, 'very patriotic, so we vote,'" Ritchie recalled. "At a (Hermantown) chamber luncheon, a man answered, 'Very patriotic and we take care of the things we love.' I was struck by the similarities of the comments. If you love some place, you take care of it and voting is how we take care of it."