by Dan Cardin, NWI.com
January 17, 2022
An Indianapolis attorney and military veteran is looking to make her next mission the protection of democracy in the Hoosier State.
Destiny Scott Wells, a first-time candidate for statewide office, this week announced she's seeking the Democratic Party nomination for Indiana secretary of state.
Wells said she was drawn to the race to combat the repeated efforts by Republicans in Indiana, and across the country, to curtail voting rights and make it harder for citizens to cast their ballot.
Specifically, Wells cited Indiana's requirement to register to vote a full month before Election Day, as well as the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, in effect, commodifying elections by selling to third parties personal information from Hoosiers' driver's licenses and state identification cards, which are required to vote in Indiana.
"As a veteran who proudly served and defended the freedoms of our nation, ... we must safeguard democracy on the home front — like free and fair elections," Wells said. "That is that is why I seek the privilege of becoming Indiana’s next secretary of state."
The Martinsville native earned her bachelor's degree at Indiana University and her law degree at the University of Texas.
From 2016 to 2017, Wells deployed to Afghanistan with the U.S Army Intelligence and Security Command working with many of the linguists now resettled in the United States.
She left active duty as adjunct faculty with the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in December, and Wells continues to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Wells also has worked as a lawyer for the city of Indianapolis and in the Indiana attorney general's office.
She’s a graduate of Hoosier Women Forward, a Democratic women’s leadership program, and currently serves as deputy chairwoman for coalitions and expansion at the Indiana Democratic Party.
Wells so far is the only candidate seeking the Democratic secretary of state nomination. It will be awarded this summer by delegates attending the Democratic State Convention.
Three Republicans are vying for the GOP nod: Secretary of State Holli Sullivan; Diego Morales, a onetime aide to former Gov. Mike Pence; and Newton County Commissioner Kyle Conrad.
The nominees of each party will compete in the Nov. 8 general election for a four-year term as secretary of state.
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