Chief of Staff for Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton Stephen L. Knipper says he is no stranger to the race for Secretary of State, as he ran back in the 2015 elections and lost by a small margin to Alison Lundergran Grimes.
Knipper says he wants to take on the challenge again, as he was previously an Erlanger City Councilman, but now has the statewide election experience.
One of the primary focuses of his campaign, Knipper says in his two minute sit-down is to make the office more automated, especially with the prolific use of smart phones being so prevalent these days.
He also adds that voter roles are a crucial concern, and as an IT guy Knipper says he has the skills to implement the best plan possible.
Knipper says that in the past there have been obvious security vulnerabilities in the Kentucky voting system, and says he was proven right in November 2018 when Kentucky’s voter data was hacked and ‘for sale’ on the dark web. Being a cybersecurity expert, Knipper explains he has the technical know-how to remedy these problems so that Kentucky voter information is kept safe.
Adoption processing is also something that is close to Knipper’s heart, as he and his wife have adopted five special needs children internationally. Knipper elaborates that the process was long and arduous, and that because of this he spoke personally with Governor Matt Bevin on the very subject to reform the paperwork and processing.
Another topic of concern for Knipper’s platform is for veteran voting to become electronic. He explains the long process that even includes folding of their own envelopes, that needs to be brought into the 21st Century for those overseas.
