State Elections Commission Names First Administrator

The state’s new Elections Commission has chosen a Government Accountability Board staffer to serve as its first administrator.

Mike Haas, current administrator of the elections division at the GAB, was chosen by commission members’ unanimous vote on Thursday.

The Elections Commission and a separate Ethics Commission will replace the nonpartisan GAB on June 30. The commissions, which will oversee ethics, campaign finance, lobbying and elections in the state, are made up of political appointees chosen by legislative leaders and the governor.

“Mike Haas is eminently qualified and his selection allows for a smooth transition to the Elections Commission,” said Rep. Dean Knudson, R-Hudson, who sponsored the legislation dissolving the GAB and creating the new commissions. “It also helps to ensure a well-run election this November, and shows that the system is working exactly as intended.”

Haas’ appointment, which is subject to confirmation by the state Senate, will last four years.

An administrator for the state’s Ethics Commission has yet to be chosen.