Deputy County Clerk Abe Dane. Courtesy | X
Deputy clerk Abe Dane is almost certain to win the election
After graduating from Hillsdale College in 2009, Abe Dane worked up to managing a warehouse. Barring a political anomaly, he will be managing the Hillsdale County Clerk’s office next year.
Both Dane and his wife, Rebekah, were born and raised in Hillsdale County and currently reside in Litchfield with their three young children.
“I graduated during the economic downturn, but thankfully I was able to get into a small manufacturing business, and I eventually worked up to the office position of warehouse and shipping manager,” Dane said. “I did that for 11 years before I was hired as chief deputy clerk.”
Dane said his switch to a position in local government brought him closer to home.
“My dad was a clerk for Moscow Township, so I had a little bit of a feel for how small municipal governments work,” Dane said. “I assisted him as an election inspector in the 2020 elections.”
Through this role Dane met the chief deputy clerk at that time for Hillsdale County, Judy Leedy.
“I was in charge of talking Abe through his job as election inspector,” Leedy said. “He understood everything. His technical skills and handling of the electronic polling was just amazing to me.”
Shortly after the November 2020 election, Leedy decided to take a job at the County Road Commission.
“I knew Abe would be a great fit, and recommended him for the position,” Leedy said.
After a short interview process, Dane made the transition from manufacturing. He said helping his father in the 2020 elections had sparked a desire in him to get involved.
“My main focus right from the get-go was elections,” Dane said. “I was a skeptic of how Trump magically lost that night when we all went to bed and it seemed like his victory was a sure thing.”
Dane’s first task as chief deputy clerk was to audit precincts at random in the county.
“We have everything brought in, including the ballots, and we do a full audit of all the paperwork to make sure everything was done properly,” Dane said. “We count the votes on the ballots and compare that to the totals from that night, and just make sure everything is on the up-and-up.”
Since taking over in January 2021, Dane said he has managed elections every year.
“We have had something every possible election date, even in the off years,” Dane said. “There’s always been an election to prepare for, so it’s been a great learning experience.”
Dane said he asked other county officials for input.
“I got to know my peers in other counties, and in doing that, I was able to find answers to the questions I had,” Dane said. “I came to realize that I don’t believe there was fraud in the 2020 election, at least not in the state of Michigan.”
Dane said honesty is at the heart of why he is now running for county clerk.
“I want to run things right here, but I also want to work with community leaders, work with the municipal clerks, and make sure everybody is doing things the right way,” he said.
Though Dane is uncontested in the general election, he ran against Stephanie Scott in the Republican primary in August. Scott received 2,395 votes against Dane’s 4,887.
Scott is also currently facing six different charges, including counts of concealing or withholding a voting machine, a 5-year felony, and using a computer to commit a crime, a 7-year felony.
Scott told The Collegian in an email comment that the Hillsdale County Clerk’s office unlawfully took over Adams Township elections at the Secretary of State’s order, and that the actions of both should be investigated further.
“The ultimate question is whether rule of law matters in Hillsdale County,” Scott said.
Though Dane said he didn’t have much time to campaign in the primary due to his responsibilities as chief deputy clerk, he admitted his work seemed to do the campaigning for him.
The Michigan State Legislature passed Proposal 22-2 early in 2024, which mandated early voting throughout the state. Dane spent weeks traveling to the townships and cities in Hillsdale County to help put the new system in place.
“In that process, I wasn’t really campaigning, but I was getting my name out there,” Dane said.
The current county clerk, Marney Kast, has been clerk since 2009, and has worked for the county since the 1980s. Kast announced last year she would not run for reelection and endorsed Dane as her replacement.
“When she hired me, she wasn’t intending on running another term,” Dane said. “So she was hopeful that I would want to run in 2024.”
Dane spoke highly of Kast’s leadership and the legacy she leaves behind.
“She is a very honest person who likes to do things the right way and has a good rapport with the community,” Dane said. “She likes to save money where she can and be resourceful with taxpayer funds.”
Dane hopes to use more technology than in previous years while still maintaining well-established relationships throughout Hillsdale.
“I think in the county clerk’s office in particular, we have relationships with every aspect of county, township and city governments,” Dane said. “We touch them all, so because of that, my big goal is to continue to have good relationships with community leaders and other elected positions so that we can work together to serve the citizens of this county.”
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