Kyle Ardoin

A native of Brusly, Louisiana in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Ardoin resides in the capital city of Baton Rouge.

In 2010, Ardoin became the first assistant secretary of state. On May 9, 2018, he became the acting secretary of state the day after Tom Schedler resigned from office.{{cite news|url=https://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/05/kyle_ardoin_louisiana_secretar.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509184514/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/05/kyle_ardoin_louisiana_secretar.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 9, 2018 |title=Kyle Ardoin is officially Louisiana's temporary secretary of state |newspaper=NOLA.com |date=May 9, 2018 |access-date=July 8, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hannapub.com/ouachitacitizen/news/local_state_headlines/ardoin-sworn-in-as-secretary-of-state/article_4423e0a2-5f53-11e8-b6ed-cf3c98d15022.html |title=Ardoin sworn in as Secretary of State | Local/State Headlines |publisher=hannapub.com |date=May 24, 2018 |access-date=July 8, 2018}}

In the November 6 nonpartisan blanket primary to fill the remainder of Schedler's term through January 2020, Ardoin received 298,652 votes (20 percent), finishing in first place and advancing to the runoff election, where he faced Democratic candidate Gwen Collins-Greenup, who finished with 289,070 votes (also 20 percent).{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2018/11/06/secretary-state-ardoin-collins-greenup-earn-runoff-spots/1896583002/ |title=Collins-Greenup delivers biggest surprise in La.'s elections |publisher=Thenewsstar.com |access-date=November 18, 2019}} In the runoff, on December 8, Ardoin defeated Collins-Greenup, 306,538 (59 percent) to 210,080 (41 percent), in a turnout of 17.2 percent of registered voters.{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical|title=Election Returns|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|date=December 8, 2018}}

In July 2019, Ardoin hired State Representative Nancy Landry of Lafayette to become his chief of staff.{{cite news|url=https://www.thenewsstar.com/get-access/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenewsstar.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2F2019%2F07%2F17%2Fstate-rep-nancy-landry-resigns-work-secretary-state%2F1756621001%2F|title=State Rep. Nancy Landry resigns to work for Secretary of State|newspaper=The Monroe News-Star|date=July 18, 2019}} In the 2019 Louisiana elections, Ardoin defeated Collins-Greenup to secure a full term as secretary of state, 59% to 41%.{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2019/11/16/louisiana-election-2019-results-secretary-state-kyle-ardoin-gwen-collins-greenup/2576392001/ |title=Louisiana election 2019 results: Kyle Ardoin wins Secretary of State |publisher=Thenewsstar.com |access-date=November 18, 2019}}

In 2021, Ardoin welcomed Phil Waldron, who argued against the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election on the basis of false claims of fraud, to speak at a state commission charged with shaping Louisiana’s voting system. Ardoin welcomed Waldron without any mention of Waldron's involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Ardoin said, "We're very pleased to have him here and excited to hear what he has to say."{{Cite news|first=Emma|last=Brown|date=December 14, 2021|title=Phil Waldron, backer of Jan. 6 PowerPoint, is invited to speak to Louisiana voting panel|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/phil-waldron-powerpoint-louisiana-voting/2021/12/14/e2fa4aaa-5cec-11ec-bda6-25c1f558dd09_story.html}}

In January 2022, Ardoin announced that Louisiana would suspend its participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), citing “concerns raised by citizens, government watchdog organizations and media reports about potential questionable funding sources and that possibly partisan actors may have access to ERIC network data.” That July, Ardoin’s office issued a letter withdrawing from the ERIC program entirely.{{cite web|first=Zach|last=Montellaro|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/23/election-deniers-2022-00078859|title=Election deniers set sights on next target|website=Politico|date=January 23, 2023|accessdate=January 23, 2023}}

Ardoin did not run for reelection as secretary of state in the 2023 elections.{{cite web|last=Hilburn|first=Greg|title=Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin won't seek reelection|url=https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2023/04/11/louisiana-secretary-of-state-kyle-ardoin-wont-seek-reelection/70103637007/|work=The Lafayette Daily Advertiser|date=April 11, 2023|accessdate=January 8, 2024}}

Ardoin is married to the former Betti Lowe, and they have one son.{{cite web | url=https://classichits925.com/local-news/363241 | title=New Secretary of State is a Ville Platte native: Kyle Ardoin }}

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Category:1967 births

Category:21st-century Louisiana politicians

Category:American lobbyists

Category:Living people

Category:Louisiana Republicans

Category:Louisiana State University alumni

Category:Politicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Category:Secretaries of state of Louisiana