Acting Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin got himself in trouble last week when he sent out a mailing, labeled by his opponents as “political,” to 44,000 senior citizens who received mail ballots for the Nov. 6 election.

The mailing was paid for by the taxpayers.

A few days before Ardoin sent out the unsolicited mailing, the Capital City News had asked Ardoin how candidates could get a list of names of voters on the early voting list. Ardoin said he would provide the list, but his staff members later said providing the list was prohibited by law.

Ardoin then sent a letter to these same voters on Secretary of State letterhead urging them to report if anyone tried to intimidate them. Other candidates pounced on the letter as a transparent misuse of tax dollars for political gain. Only Ardoin and no other candidate has access to the list.