Once again, Diego Morales’ work history at the Secretary of State’s office is resurfacing, except this time it was during his second tenure under Charlie White.

Morales was disciplined in February 2011 for…

  • Departing from the office early without receiving prior approval from a supervisor.
  • Poor execution of required daily tasks as assigned.
  • Incomplete event planning and management.

Morales was offered a 30-day improvement plan; however, he resigned shortly there afterward.

You can review the documents here.

Morales has characterized the release of his employment records as a campaign attack.

In an e-mail to supporters, he stated the following…

The desperation of the establishment appointee Holli Sullivan is obvious.

I am outworking her and outraising her, crisscrossing all 92 counties listening to Hoosiers, and talking about the central issue of election security.

Meanwhile, establishment appointee Holli Sullivan hides in her office in Indianapolis and tries to smear my record of service. I volunteered for the U.S. Army and served the public for five years in state government. I worked for the Governor’s office and Lt. Governor’s office, and twice in the Office of the Indiana Secretary of State. I left the Secretary of State’s office on good terms both times, as verified by my bosses Todd Rokita and Charlie White.

While I want to focus on issues related to elections, in order to fight back against this smear campaign, I must highlight Sullivan’s dreadful mismanagement of her office.

Since Holcomb appointed her, morale has deteriorated and employee turnover has reached a stunning 30%. Her Deputy Secretary of State left, taking with him over eight years of election experience.

She should be working on moving the office forward. Instead, she’s taking credit for legislation that was introduced during the past administration — legislation she herself did not bother to push for as a State Representative.

She refuses to discuss what she wants her vision for the office because she doesn’t have one. She ducks the most important issue of this race: The problems that marred the 2020 presidential vote and the reforms that are needed now.

I have been all across the state sharing my vision. I proactively support three needed changes. First, a return to same-day voting, except for valid excuses like hospitalization or military deployment. Second, phasing out direct record electronic (DRE) voting machines and instead of using paper ballots and ballot marking devices (BMDs). Finally, a requirement of a valid photo ID for mail-in ballots.

Hoosiers deserve a Secretary of State who brings ideas to the table, not just attacks.

Morales was fired from the office under Todd Rokita; however, he disputes the claim that he was fired and instead insisted that he resigned from the office on good terms.

Photo: CQ Roll Call