In August 2018, I wrote in support of our secretary of state, Bill Gardner. Over the past two years during some of the most challenging times our country has faced, he continues to provide the leadership that explains why he is the longest-serving secretary of state in the country.
This election and the primary preceding it posed tremendous challenges. COVID-19, an onslaught of mail-in ballots, changes to rules, and large voter turnout at the polls. It should not be minimized the outsized role town and city clerks had in ensuring a smooth primary and general election. And it shouldn’t be minimized the role our secretary of state and his office had in providing and coordinating resources to ensure their efforts resulted in the same outstanding outcomes New Hampshire has come to expect.
Here is what I wrote last August: Bill Gardner has been secretary of state for 42 years because he does the right thing. He protects New Hampshire’s first in the nation primary. He respects the office and understands his commitment to protect your rights to free and fair elections. His commitment to doing the right thing has never wavered during the 42 years he has been secretary of state.
The only thing that has changed is Bill Gardner has now been secretary of state for 44 years. And as I also wrote two years ago, he has once again earned the privilege to continue as our secretary of state.
ALLAN HERSCHLAG
Concord