Occupation/Current Position
Not for Profit Program Manager
Education
Masters of Public Administration from Indiana University South Bend, Bachelors of Arts, The Johns Hopkins University
Campaign Phone
574-344-9266
Campaign Email
stephanie.sbhf@votestephanieforclerk.com
The biggest challenge we face is gaining back public trust in the integrity of the office. We plan to put more resources into staff professional development and retention efforts. It is important to have highly trained and knowledgeable staff who want to serve the community and feel valued for the work that they do. We plan to meet with judges, clerk staff, court staff and other county officials to identify areas where the clerk’s office can be more efficient and effective as we serve the public. We will seek citizen input about how we can improve office efficiency, increase customer satisfaction and advance accuracy in the work that we perform. By investing in our team and listening to our customers, the clerk’s office will regain public trust that is so vital to delivering high quality services, both internally and externally.
We will add more points of transparency. There have been past concerns about ballot security. We propose that the ballot room door camera be live streamed on primary and general election days. This way, the public can see who, how and when the ballot room doors are opened and closed for the purpose of securing ballots. We will hold community meetings around the county to get citizen input into where vote centers should be located. We can actively seek citizen feedback on their experience during early voting and during election day polling. We can use this feedback to determine where improvements can be made in site selection, site accessibility, line/chute management and customer service. We can consider using AI tools and additional digital scanning technology to provide an added layer of protection and accuracy.
We will hold community meetings to get citizen input about where vote centers should be located and how readily accessible and efficient current locations are. Election security is paramount to our belief in a fair election process. We will make sure that all clerk staff are receiving up to date information and training around elections security. We will hold public meetings to inform the community on what safety measures are already in place and how we currently align our policies and procedures with State expectations as laid out in the Elections Administrators Manual. We will ensure that clerk staff have opportunities to participate in circuit court conferences and other learning and networking opportunities. This is so that staff are continuously learning about new procedures, trends and threats to election security.
Before 2020, there were over 200 polling places in St. Joseph County. We are now down to around 41 vote center. Current leadership has intentionally reduced voting access to thousands of St. Joseph County voters. Many of our neighbors have not adjusted to this dearth of polling locations and are unaware of where these centers are located. We can evaluate the number of registered voters in an area, the voter turnout, and the concentration of registered voters in an area to better determine the number and location of polling places. We can talk to our neighbors and get their input on future vote center locations. We can consider locating vote centers near high foot traffic, high visibility non-traditional locations such as shopping centers, convention centers, social service agencies or grocery stores.
With so many people relying on digital and social media platforms for information, we can use these same outlets to educate our community about the latest federal, state and local updates that affect the elections process . The Clerk’s office can create public service announcements, create social media content or create a featured spotlight series on local broadcast media to keep people updated on elections. The Clerk' s office can partner with non-partisan, not for profit organizations, k-12 schools and area universities to help everyone stay informed about election updates and to dispel misinformation. As the County Clerk, we can deploy any one of these strategies to keep the public informed and up to date on any changes that are taking place, which we believe lends itself to increasing the public trust in our brand and services.
We will make sure that all clerk staff are receiving up to date information and training around using State sanctioned software and databases. This will improve our accuracy in records management. We can investigate using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve our court processing speed, accuracy and efficiency. St. Joseph County can incorporate real-time dashboards that show users the status of their court cases, filings and other records, as they move through the system. A real-time dashboard could alert users about errors, the need for additional information and actions. This will improve workflow efficiency. We also know that communicating and collaborating with our court colleagues is the best way to produce a SWOT analysis, that leads us to improved transparency, efficiency and accuracy: a win-win for taxpayers.
We can incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) tools that improve our court processing speed, accuracy and efficiency. Some communities have incorporated real-time dashboards that show users the status of their court cases through the system. A real-time dashboard can potentially provide alerts to users about errors or the need for additional information or actions. We also know that meeting, communicating and collaborating with our court colleagues is the best way to identify opportunities to improve transparency, efficiency, accessibility and accuracy in our records. The Clerk's office also must work seamlessly with our partner units of county government, such as the Prosecutors Office and the Sheriff's Department, to ensure orders are issued and executed accurately.
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Occupation/Current Position
Clerk of the Circuit Court for St. Joseph County Indiana
Education
BA and MA in Education, University of Michigan
Campaign Phone
7348456000
Candidate video
Campaign Email
amyrolfes@yahoo.com
• Recruiting more election workers. The average age is 70 and God bless these dedicated patriots, some who have worked 20 plus years serving the voters of SJC. Time for others to step up! You are paid to serve your community and working elections is not political. It is a process that helps voters choose their elected officials. It is against the law to talk politics or try to influence a voter. Election workers are friends, neighbors, coworkers and community members, coming together to act out their civic duty. Even high school students who are 16 or 17 are eligible to work on Election Day under the Hoosier Hall Pass. It is a great opportunity for the younger generation to get involved in how elections work. I hope many of you, both young and not so young, will answer the call to work the election! sjcindiana.gov/1683/Work-the-Election
As a retired teacher and nonprofit director, I had administrative experience but was new to elections. I formed an Election Administration team with experts—the Chief Deputy of Elections and the Elections Clerk, who together have over 25 years of experience in SJC elections. We all completed the CEATS certification program in Election Administration, Technology and Security, making our office the first in SJC to have a fully certified team. This accomplishment gave us practical skills, access to a nationwide resource network, and helped us achieve a perfect score on the 2024 Post-Election audit. Our team's success was further honored when we were invited to present at an election security conference - State Certification and Testing of Elections Systems National Conference in Washington D.C., shining a bright spotlight on SJC elections.
Election security is my campaign promise to voters. I secured $110,000 in grant funding to enhance physical security for voting equipment, collaborating with agencies like DHS, CISA, local fire and police, SJC IT, and the Secretary of State’s Office. This provided increased security for 1,000 pieces of equipment.
To protect election workers and voters, I partnered with several agencies to create customized Emergency Action Plans for each Vote Center. Our election process follows Indiana law, ensuring bipartisanship, transparency with surveillance, and strict adherence to procedures.
Accessibility requirements are met with ADA vote machines and vote centers. SJC offers twice the vote centers required by state code. The voluntary 2024 Post-Election Audit confirmed our success regarding election integrity with a perfect score.
The Indiana legislature put into law the minimum number of vote centers - 1 vote center for every 10,000 registered voters. Lucky for us, St. Joseph County has almost twice that number! For this Primary election on May 5, voters will have their choice of 39 vote centers, open from 6AM – 6PM. Our vote centers are located throughout the county with ADA voting equipment and are located in ADA accessible buildings.
I provide facts, give accurate information to the media and educate voters. Voter education can reduce misinformation. Elections 101 is a workshop designed to teach the public how elections operate. Our innovative voter education program earned an award from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The workshop explains voter registration, absentee voting, and the roles of election workers, and it features a mock election using authentic SJC voting equipment.
For those who doubt the integrity of elections, I invite them to be election workers. This helps them understand our bipartisan, transparent, and professional election process. Many have accepted this invitation and gained valuable insight. Also, the integrity of our elections has been validated by the perfect score on the Post-Election Audit in 2024.
The software system the County uses is accurate and secure. Regarding marriage license applications, we added a convenient kiosk for couples to apply at our office, if they do not have access to a computer. Another recent change that my administration has implemented is with ORO, Official Records Online. We recently published a price list on the website to help the public know the cost, before they make the request and added a 2 day shipping option. This change has been extremely efficient for the public and for our office. We work collaboratively with the Archives Department and are able to serve the public quickly and efficiently.
Regarding the FOIA, Freedom of Information requests, the County provides an online service posted on the SJC website for people to use when they would like records.
Teamwork and collaboration are keys to working with the public, legal professionals, and other departments. The Clerks operate in three locations—South Bend, Mishawaka, and the Juvenile Justice Center, ensuring an organized and efficient justice system. Clerks are limited by law how much assistance they can provide.
We handle about 100,000 cases per year using a secure statewide software system. Supervisors train new staff, solve issues, and serve the public. Clerks receive training, reviews, and cross-training to stay current. A new process, shared by the Allen County Clerk, is flexible hours for experienced Clerks to accommodate after-hours filings in our busiest court, Small Claims. As the President of the Northern Clerks Association, I know the value of statewide networking in sharing best practices among Clerks to find efficiencies.
