William “Scott” Hoen

Please share briefly what inspired you to run for this office and why you feel you’re qualified for the position.

My experience in the Title Insurance Industry dealing with Recorders offices across the Country with technology systems and data allow me to bring a technical expertise to the office. My management and leadership skills over 30 years in running Title Insurance operations growing market share and profitability will prove to be a good steward of City funds and my background in politics as the past Chairman of the Carson City Republican Central Committee brings a deep understanding of what election integrity is and how we can become more transparent with the citizens of Carson City about the process and voter rolls. I have experience dealing with estates in the title insurance business and will bring that expertise to the Public Administrator roll in Carson City. There is a lot to learn and do and I am up to the challenge of putting in the necessary full time hours to do this job. I will work 24/7 for the community of Carson City - I will be transparent and available.

Because of the rise of mis/disinformation stemming from the Big Lie, some voters feel like our elections are not secure despite the great elections/voting rights bills that were passed and signed into law. If elected as County Clerk, what would you say to voters who are second guessing the integrity of our elections?

It's all about transparency and letting the public know what the office is doing to comply with the laws and regulations set forth. Over communicating with the community about the process and what is being done to secure the election is key. Carson City does an excellent job and I will know more when in the office on how to make improvements listening to staff and the community. Based upon me working the polls the last election cycle, everyone wants a secure election. Citizens wanted to show ID, they brought ballots to the polls that were not theirs. The public just needs to understand how to help with the voter rolls. Citizens don't even know that they can opt out of receiving a mail in ballot if they want to vote in person preventing the possible mishandling of a mail in ballot. I look forward to being the next Clerk to make a difference in building the confidence of our community about the election process.

Hypothetical: A voter contacts you and indicates that they attempted to register to vote at the polls during Early Voting, but was turned away. The election worker states that they need to get an updated, current ID because they just moved to a new home in Las Vegas. What would you advise the voter to do?

Carson City has done an excellent job and the current clerk and her team understand the process to get someone registered the same day or change their party affiliation the same day. Every vote counts and it is up to the clerk to insure the integrity of the election by following the rules of personal identification to receive the ballot for the election. I would enforce the rules to be fair to everyone once in office. Training a volunteer staff can be a challenge but I have the experience necessary to train and educate for scenarios like this. You have to plan for what might come about so you are ready to respond with confidence following the rules and regulations.

In light of Section 203 of the VRA, Washoe County is NOT required to provide election materials in Spanish but do so anyway. If elected, and your county is not required by Section 203, would your office translate election materials in other languages?

I would seriously consider this to meet the needs of our Carson City Citizens. It is an expense that should be presented to the Carson City Board of Supervisor so they can make a decision whats best for our community. The Clerk doesn't have to work in a silo or vacuum but work with the City who provide resources for the recorders office, elections and public administration to operate.

With the passage of AB321 (2021) and AB422 (2021), NVSOS must create and maintain a top-down voter registration system and a cooperative agreement with the Registrar of Vital Statistics. What are some things that everyday Nevadans can do to help maintain the voter roll?

Excellent question. It comes down to educating the community what they can do to keep the voter rolls clean. If you receive a ballot in the mail for someone that might have passed away or moved - you should immediately put a line through the envelope and write return to sender. The Carson City Clerks office will mark that voter appropriately in order for them not to receive a ballot in the future. The community needs to know that they can opt out of receiving a mail in ballot if they want to vote in person. A simple form will stop that ballot from being mailed out and will help with voter integrity and the voter rolls. Voters should not simply throw a ballot away or tear it up. Take it directly to the Clerks office if you don't trust the mail -- get the ballot to the Clerk's office and they will take it from there.

With the passage of AB431 (2019), what efforts would your office do to ensure that Nevadans who are waiting for pre-trial or convicted of a misdemeanor, are informed of our electoral process?

Again, all about being transparent and communicating the rules to those persons that can educate those involved. I would work closely with the Carson City Sheriff and State Prison and Correctional facilities so those individual knows their right to vote has been restored. Outreach to those communities as everyone deserves the right to vote, if able.

Describe your understanding of the signature verification process and the Confidential Address Program.

The confidential address program purpose is to protect addresses of persons attempting to escape from domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, or stalking situations. Voters can use a substitute address in place of their physical address. From a voter roll perspective, we must honor that request and even from a Recorders office if real property is acquired, those individuals can go through a process to redact their information. It's all about educating the public about processes and being transparent. I don't know everything but will work hard at complying with the rules and regulations and keep our community informed.

Under what circumstances do voters need to show an ID to vote?

I worked the polls the last election cycle. You would be amazed at how many people were reaching for their wallets or purses to show ID -- everyone wants to show their ID as they want a secure election. The voter signs an affidavit to who they are. Signatures are then checked by the poll worker looking up the voter by their name provided. Maybe use a birthday as a secondary question. Signatures are then compared to what they signed on the affidavit and what is on record. Many signatures don't match -- they signed the DMV record quickly or they did it 20 years ago and they don't match. You then can ask them for ID so you can verify who they are to better verify signatures.

Describe your understanding of the certification process of electronic voting machines.

This is a complicated process and Carson City is fortunate to have the ES&S machine and not the dominion machines. The voting machines must be kept in a secure storage environment controlled by the Clerk. Before any machine can be used in Nevada, it must first go through a series of tests and audits. Every machine has tamper evident security seals and access is limited to personnel. They are tested before, during and after an election. I look forward to being a part of the process and learning more to insure to our Carson City voters that it is a secure election process.
I could probably write a book about the process but think of all the steps required from acceptance testing, chain of custody with the equipment, certifying hardware, firmware, software, and the key of logic and accuracy testing. Setting the error rate so low that again, our voters believe that it is a fair and secure election. There is a lot more but know that with my technical background - I am up to the task going through these audits and look forward to the opportunity of workin with them.

What is your stance on transitioning to all paper ballot elections? And the hand count of paper ballots?

This is one that isn't up to the Carson City Clerk - it is up to the State Legislature and Board of Supervisors. There is strict timing requirements of reporting results may prohibit the 100% reliance on paper ballots. Carson City is fortunate that when a voter votes in person, their ballot is marked with their selections before going over to the scanner to count their ballot. Voters are encouraged to look at their paper ballot and see that their candidates are listed and printed out. It is a good source for a back up or audit having paper ballots to fall back on already.

How will you resist official or unofficial, public or private pressure to alter, manipulate, or baselessly reject the results of an election? How will you resist and counteract official or unofficial, public or private disinformation concerning the results of an election? How will you prevent unlawful interference with the counting and certification of election results in Nevada?

This is real simple, I will simply comply with the laws and regulations and follow them to the letter of the law regardless of personal opinions or pressure from outside individuals. I know I can go to sleep at night feeling that we did the best we can with the the tools and resources available. The results are what the results are -- this is a non partisan office and will be reported factually as they are recorded.

How will you protect the physical safety of all officials and volunteers engaged in the administration of Nevada elections, from SOS staff down to volunteer poll workers?

I have a good working relationship with the Sheriff with my previous working with the Republican office - I know who I can rely on for help and assistance to keep order. There are rules and they must be enforced from the 100 foot rule around the polling location to not have interference or campaigning being done. I will look to law enforcement for assistance. I will also make sure the Board of Supervisors know the resources required to keep the election safe and secure for everyone.

The traditional election worker is older, retired, and does not represent how diverse Nevada’s communities are. If elected as County Clerk, what are your plans to recruit a new generation of election workers?

The Clerk attends the Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting as the recorder - public testimony can be made at these meetings and covered by the local media - reach out to groups in Carson City to better inform them what a secure election is all about and it comes down to them helping with the process. Being fair and getting voters from all parties is key to working together for a secure election. I would be open to visiting high schools, community colleges and more to get the word out what is required. I am adept at social media and the younger audience is on snapchat, instagram and twitter. A concerted effort needs to be made to communicate not just to the older population on Facebook but the younger generation and we will get there by communicating with them on the platforms they use.