St. Joseph County Republican Clerk Amy Rolfes received national attention this month after co-presenting at the State Certification Testing of Election Systems National Conference in Washington, D.C., a major gathering focused on election security, auditing, and public confidence in voting systems.
Rolfes and her Chief Deputy Clerk, Trisha Carrico, delivered a presentation titled “Building Public Trust Through the Post-Election Audit” at the conference, which was hosted by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
The event drew officials and experts from across the country, including representatives from the Texas and California Secretaries of State’s offices, Charles Stewart III of MIT, and Lia Merivaki of Georgetown University. Organizers described the turnout as a record high, reflecting heightened national interest in election integrity and auditing practices.
Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales, who also delivered opening remarks at the conference, publicly praised Rolfes’ work.
“Amy Rolfes is doing a great job. I am so proud to work alongside Amy. She is doing an amazing job as the County Clerk in St. Joseph County. And she gave a great presentation… hats off to Amy,” Morales said.
Focus on post-election audits
During their presentation, Rolfes and Carrico highlighted St. Joseph County’s 2024 post-election audit, which achieved a 99 percent confidence level, the highest level attainable without a full hand recount.
Rolfes described the audit as a key transparency tool.
“The post-election audit is the mechanism that can build public trust because the public is invited to participate in the audit. They see exactly how the audit is done by comparing the voted paper ballots to what the electronic voting machines have recorded. And it is this process that can build public trust because it’s so transparent,” she said.
The audit involved a randomized review of thousands of ballots, conducted in public view and in accordance with Indiana election law. Rolfes said her office voluntarily participated and exceeded minimum state requirements.
According to conference materials, the Voting System Technical Oversight Program completed St. Joseph County’s audit in one day, faster than the typical two-day timeline, which presenters cited as evidence of efficient preparation and execution.
Asked whether the county would participate in a future audit, Rolfes said, “Yes, absolutely. We definitely will volunteer for another post-election audit at some point.”
Rolfes took office in 2023 amid broader debates over election administration in Indiana. Her appearance at the conference positioned St. Joseph County as an example of how local election offices can use post-election audits to bolster public confidence.
Logan Foster
Logan Foster is the founder and editor of Redress South Bend, an independent news outlet covering local government, courts, and public institutions in South Bend and St. Joseph County, Indiana. He reports from primary documents: public records requests, court filings, state audit reports, and campaign finance disclosures. His reporting has examined city and school district payments made without competitive bidding, school board spending, and the records of candidates in county races. Redress South Bend obtained the South Bend Police Department's ShotSpotter coverage map after the department initially denied public access. The outlet is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Online News Association. Reach him at info@redresssouthbend.com
