Andrew Koeppen Interview
Unedited Candidate Interview for the 2026 Grant County Auditor's Race
I interviewed 2 candidates for the Grant County Commissioner Auditor’s race for 2026.
All 3 Candidates were invited to be interviewed
2 Candidates that responded were asked the exact same 20 questions in the exact same order
They never saw each others answers
The answers have not been altered, edited, modified, editorialized, changed, or edited in any way by the staff, ownership, or affiliates of this publication.
For each I have posted the transcript, not a story, their words. (transcripts by AI)
For each I have posted the audio from the interview.
A full list of the questions
Below the interviews I will post their posted bio from their candidate website, their sign and a link to their website and or FaceBook
The Interview Begins Here
Andrew Koeppen Interview Audio File
Andrew Koeppen Interview Grant County Auditor
Race for 2026
Brent Dowlen: [00:00:00] All right. Andrew, for people who may not know you yet, tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, and your connection to Grant County.
Andrew Koeppen: Okay. My name is Andrew Koeppen, and I moved to Grant County about five years ago. Previous to that, I was on the, uh, west side in Redmond, and I am an immigrant to the United States, and I gained my citizenship after 18 years of blood, sweat, and tears.
And I-
Keep going. Yeah, keep going. And, uh, I-
Brent Dowlen: Why, why are you in Grand County? Why did you move to Grand County?
Andrew Koeppen: I moved to Grand County because I really appreciated the community and, uh, the culture here, and I wanted to continue my business here and to come and work, uh, and build Grand County.
Brent Dowlen: Okay. What experiences in your professional or personal life do you believe has best prepared you for public service?
Andrew Koeppen: I think it’s the broad [00:01:00] background that I have. Um, I have experience with high-tech companies. I’ve worked for companies like AT&T, for Harris Corporation, for, uh, multiple, uh, international companies. I’ve also owned my own business for 20 years. I’m also a real estate agent, so I understand various documents, and I’m also a notary.
And I’ve also been working in the community doing public service, uh, probably my whole life.
Brent Dowlen: Tell us about your career path and the experiences that led you to this point in your life and a public service journey.
Andrew Koeppen: Uh, my career path started, uh, when I finished schooling in Edmonton, Alberta. I moved to Northwest Territories, where I spent two years working for a telecommunication company.
After that, I moved to, uh, Calgary, Alberta, uh, for [00:02:00] Novatel, where we were developing, uh, cellular systems. After Novatel, I moved to Alcatel Engineering in Germany, and from Germany, I, uh, moved to Bethesda, Maryland, working to develop a system for BellSouth with Alcatel Engineering. Then I moved back to Calgary, Alberta, uh, for Novatel, which then became Harris Corporation.
After that, I moved to Redmond, working for AT&T Fixed Wireless, which moved to AT&T Wireless, and then I worked for a company, uh, uh, doing nine one one systems, and I was helping integrate nine one one with the VoIP systems. Uh, because I didn’t wanna continue moving all over the country, I decided to buy a business, which was a printing and marketing business, and that [00:03:00] was, uh, where I continued.
Uh, during that time, I also became a real estate agent, and then we moved over here about five years ago, continued with the business, and, uh, worked with the various communities here.
Brent Dowlen: Outside of politics and government, what values or life experiences have shaped you, the way you approach your leadership and decision-making?
Andrew Koeppen: I really do believe in the, uh, servant leadership model, and I’ve, uh, seen it exemplified by many people throughout my life. There was a police chief that I saw, uh, setting up tables and chairs and working with the community. People like that really inspire me, and that is the type of servant leadership that I want to emulate.
Brent Dowlen: What motivated you to run for Grant [00:04:00] County Auditor specifically, and why now?
Andrew Koeppen: The Grand County Auditor position is a very unique position and a very important position that people really do not understand fully, for most people do not understand fully the whole responsibility. It does the day-to-day operations of financial operations of Grand County. It also does, uh, the licensing and such of vehicles.
It also does, uh, titles and deeds for homes, and it also does the election, uh, division. And because it’s those four broad positions, my broad background in, uh, systems engineering, product, uh, maintenance systems and various process improvements, I believe that that’s where my experience can come in and [00:05:00] be used for it.
As somebody who had to earn my right to vote, uh, voting is very passionate for me, and I wanna make sure that that is done right and that every vote is counted, and that, uh, it is done efficiently and practically as possible. And if anybody has taken a look at the Grand County budget, it has gone from approximately a hundred and fifty million dollars to well over three hundred million.
And when any organization over just a few years expands that much, they need to have professional leadership, leadership which I think I can provide.
Brent Dowlen: Okay. Was there a particular issue, experience, or moment that made you decide that this was the right time to step forward and run?
Andrew Koeppen: I think it’s just that we’re seeing that the budget has expanded from 150 to well over 300 million.
And in my own past, I have seen the issues that come [00:06:00] when budgets increase so phenomenally, and that if it’s not managed carefully and properly, there’s just gonna have a lot of downstream effects that aren’t positive. Mm-hmm. And I wanna make sure that as Grand County grows and as the budget grows, that it is, uh, watched over carefully because I really do believe, uh, every penny counts and every vote counts, and that’s something that I really think right now is a time somebody with my experience can really step in and do the job well.
Brent Dowlen: For people who may not fully understand the role, how would you actually explain what the Grant County Auditor actually does and why the office matters to everyday residents?
Andrew Koeppen: The office matters to everyday residents because it impacts them daily. Uh, every time you sign a, uh... Every time you do a transaction for a vehicle, every [00:07:00] time you sell or buy a house, every time you vote, every time you pay your taxes to Grand County- Mm-hmm
you’re involved in what’s going on with the Grand County Auditor’s office. And I think everything needs to be working well so that it functions in a proper manner so that people can get their houses sold, that they can get their titles for their vehicles, and that the taxes are spent the way that the commissioners, the way the people have wanted the taxes to be spent.
Brent Dowlen: Why are you the best person for this job compared to the other candidates in the race?
Andrew Koeppen: I think it’s the broad experience that I have, uh, and also the independence that I have. Uh, the auditor needs to understand finance, and I have worked for large, uh, companies. I did, uh, verification of AT&T’s [00:08:00] billing systems.
I’ve owned my own business for twenty years, and because of that, I do know that if you don’t watch the pennies, the dollars will be lost. So for the financial parts, I think that’s where I have a lot of skill and experience. Also, with the, uh, property, with the public records for properties, for the titles and the deeds, as a real estate agent, I really understand that those need to be done correctly and that you can’t be, uh...
You, you really need to make sure that that is done right, because if it’s not done right, it can impact a person’s life because they can’t sell their house or can’t buy a house. And for the vote, voting, right now there’s a lot of people questioning the votes, and I think we need to make sure that everybody has [00:09:00] one hundred percent confidence that the votes are done correctly, that they are done in a nonpartisan way, and that people can trust the vote count, and that’s something that my experience, my independence really leads up to.
Brent Dowlen: Election integrity has become one of the most discussed issues in, in the country. How would you help maintain public trust and confidence in the Grant County elections regardless of political affiliation?
Andrew Koeppen: As a conservative, I believe that you need to be independent and you need to have ethics. And for me, what I would really do is make sure that everything is transparent.
Uh, several of the ways you can do it is to make sure that the observers are treated with respect when they are observing, uh, the vote counts. There’s, uh-- We need to make sure that there is [00:10:00] proper policies and procedures for a ballot, uh, when they’re, from when they’re cast to when they’re counted, so people can observe the chain of custody and that that is done right.
And the ways that can be done, we can have more cameras, that they are live-streamed twenty-four/seven, and they are live-streamed so that the ballots are never out of sight. Okay.
Brent Dowlen: What steps would you take to improve transparency and communication between the auditor’s office and the public?
Andrew Koeppen: One of the ways to do that is to make sure that our website is up-to-date and current.
Right now, there’s-- the website has a lot of old information in there, and that doesn’t really give confidence that everything is done correctly on the website. So what I would do is make sure, uh, [00:11:00] we would review the website, make sure that the current information is there, and whatever, whatever possible is to push it onto the website to make sure that the information is correct and current on there.
Brent Dowlen: Many residents in rural communities across Grant County feel disconnected from county government’s best. How can the auditor’s office better serve communities outside of Ephrata and Moses Lake, including, including places like Quincy, George, Mattawa, Royal City, and the smaller surrounding areas?
Andrew Koeppen: I have been to those communities, and I have heard that same comment that you have said that they feel disconnected from what’s going on in Grant County.
And that’s a shame because I do believe that every voice and every community matters. And I think, uh, the best way to do it is to actually physically be present in those communities, go [00:12:00] show up, go have discussions, go have community forums in there, and that’s something that the auditor can do. The other way of doing that is being fully transparent on our website by, by pushing information out there, what is happening in Grant County, what’s happening in the courthouse.
Because I’ve heard from many people they don’t know what’s going on in the courthouse. And for me, I think that’s something that should be very obvious. Uh, if somebody doesn’t know what’s going on, you say, “Have you looked at the website?” “No.” “Well, here’s the website. Here’s the thing, uh, where you can get this information.
If you don’t do website, let me give you some information manually. Is there something where we can send it to you?” But just be very communicative and understand that different people get information in different ways, and try to accommodate the people.
Brent Dowlen: The auditor’s [00:13:00] office oversees elections, licensing, recording services, and financial operations.
Which area do you believe needs the most improvement or modernization right now?
Andrew Koeppen: I think all four really need the modernization right now. Uh, as I said earlier, the budget has increased from a hundred and fifty or approximately a hundred and fifty million dollars about five years ago to well over three hundred million right now. Processes and procedures that were good for a hundred and fifty million oftentimes are not good when, uh, uh, when budgets have increased by double.
I’ve seen that in the high tech industry. I’ve seen that in my own personal business. You have to be flexible, and you have to change. The licensing and the public records aspect, uh, there’s so much [00:14:00] that’s going on right now with technology. We have AI that is going to influence, uh, records and will in some ways, um, uh, increase the likelihood of fraud.
So you have to be ready to deal with those systems. So that needs to be updated. And the election integrity part of it, we’re seeing all the time, uh, different threats that are coming onto the election integrity. Uh, again, uh, AI is going to make election integrity more difficult in one way, but on the other hand, it can also solve some of the problems.
And I’m hearing from residents they want more ballot boxes. They want more security on their ballots. So I really think it’s, uh-- all four need to be looked at, looked at closely, and [00:15:00] evaluated and improved.
Brent Dowlen: Technology continues to change rapidly. How should the county balance modernization and online accessibility while also protecting cybersecurity and sensitive public records?
Andrew Koeppen: On the public records side of it and to protect public records, oftentimes the lowest tech solution works the best. Uh, for me, I have seen it in practical cases where checklists, before documents are released, that a checklist is followed saying, “Did you check this? Did you check this? Did you check this?”
Yes, sign it. Then you release the documents. Uh, with the rest of the modernization, you have to have a broad experience with technology because you have people that are salespeople that are gonna come and try to sell you solutions to problems that really don’t [00:16:00] exist. And I’ve seen it over and over again as a small businessman.
People want to sell me something over and over again, and I’m going, “What does it s- what problems does it solve?” Well, not really, and it’s gonna cost me four times more than the solution that I have right now. I think this is where the experience with technology, uh, what it can and can’t do, is so very important.
If you just are looking at numbers, it might make sense technically, but practically, it’s gonna cause all sorts of problems and cost more money than what it’s gonna save.
Brent Dowlen: Residents often become frustrated with long wait times, confusing processes, or difficulty navigating government services. What would you do to improve customer service and efficiency within the auditor’s office?
Andrew Koeppen: I think the best way to do it is to [00:17:00] learn the best practices. Uh, the license and licensing, uh, the vehicle licensing branch in Moses Lake, I have to give them real kudos. They know what they’re doing. Usually, when I had to go and get a license plate or get tabs or whatnot in any other location worldwide, it was usually, uh, something that caused me terror, if we wanna go that way.
But going into Moses Lake, they’re fast, they’re efficient, they’re friendly, and I really wanna say they do a really good job. And I think coming from somebody that works with customers every day, I understand that we need to make sure that things are done fast, efficiently, accurately, and I think that comes from the top down.
When, when you’re trying to make a good, positive impression [00:18:00] on any taxpayer, any resident of Grant County I think that can be done and it needs to be done because as servants of the people, we need to act that way and work for the best interest of the people, not the system
Brent Dowlen: Public trust in institutions has declined in recent years.
How do you ensure the Auditor’s Office remains nonpartisan, professional, and focused on serving everybody fairly?
Andrew Koeppen: I do believe that the Auditor’s Office should be a nonpartisan position. Uh, I’ve made the example like it’s a dog catcher. We shouldn’t care if the dog catcher is a Republican or a Democrat.
They just have a job to do. One of the things that I like about the Auditor’s Office is there is really, uh-- or let’s go backwards. The Auditor’s Office is in a box. It is to do certain things, and it’s [00:19:00] supposed to do them well, and I think the way to do the-- build the trust in it is to do that, uh, do the job well, do it transparently, and work with the people, uh, whether, uh, they are Democrats, Republicans, Independents, because really the Auditor’s Office is sup- is to be the protection of the citizens of Grant County, the taxpayers, and it’s not meant to be a partisan position, in my opinion.
Brent Dowlen: Washington State conducts elections almost entirely by mail. What safeguards do you believe are the most important to protect election accuracy and voter confidence?
Andrew Koeppen: Uh, as somebody who’s watched the process, I do believe the best way to do it, and I’m encouraging people to do this, is when you do a ballot, go to the elections office and give your ballot to the elections office, number one.
Number two is if you can’t go to the elections office, [00:20:00] go do-- go give your ballot, uh, drop it off at the ballot box. And only if, uh, if you have to, go do it by mail. And if you do it by mail, go into the mail, um, mail office and have them, uh, stamp it, date stamp it, so that way you’re sure that it’s, uh, received properly Uh, I think that’s the process and making sure that the system is functioning well.
Brent Dowlen: How would you approach concerns from residents who question election pro- procedures and feel uncertain about how ballots are handled?
Andrew Koeppen: Can you say that one more time?
Brent Dowlen: How would you approach concerns from residents that question election procedures and feel uncertain about how ballots are handled?
Andrew Koeppen: One, I would encourage them to come down and watch how the procedure is done, and it-- that’s the full [00:21:00] transparency.
Encourage them to monitor how the ballots are being counted, again, by putting it online so that the cameras are, are watching the ballots so that they can observe the procedure, and just doing things as transparently as possible.
Brent Dowlen: Grant County continues to grow and change. What challenges do you believe the auditor’s office will face in the next five to 10 years?
Andrew Koeppen: One is the budget increase from a hundred and fifty to three hundred million. That’s going to be a big issue in Grant County. The other one is the, uh, development of AI. Again, that’s going to impact Grant County and the elections office and the auditor’s office in many ways. I think those are the two big challenges, plus the changing in the demographics in Grant County.
Brent Dowlen: If elected, what would be your top [00:22:00] priorities during your first year in office?
Andrew Koeppen: My top priorities would be to really go through the contracts that have been signed in the auditor’s office, in the, the contracts with the budget. I think, uh, because the budget has increased so much, I think it’s a good time to review all the contracts that have been signed, especially the service contracts that come with the various lease purchases.
I would also like to go through and improve the transparency in the elections department. I would like to get more, uh, online cameras. I’ve talked to the people in the elections office. They really would like to have cameras in the vault where the ballots are stored. And the other one is to have more transparency when there are the vote counts.
We need to just have those [00:23:00] cameras on twenty-four/seven. There is no reason why we can’t live stream the election process, even if it’s just a live stream of an empty office while the people are going home. Because people have come up with all sorts of strange theories of what’s going on. If you are transparent, then there would be less, uh, conspiracy theories going out there.
At the end of your term, what would success look like to you, and what would you hope residents across Grant County would say about your leadership? I think for the leadership, that it was done well and that it was done honestly and effectively What I would really like is that Grant County becomes the l- uh, the role model of auditor’s office, uh, statewide, that people will see that we are doing the best practices, that they can learn from us, and that [00:24:00] we are, even though we are not the biggest county, but that the counties can learn from us.
If we are on the top, I think that’s where I would like to leave the auditor’s office.
Brent Dowlen: All right. Thank you for your time, Andrew.
Andrew Koeppen: You’re welcome, and thank you very much, Brent, for putting this on.
Website Bio (condensed)
Andrew Koeppen is a father of four, business owner, and technology professional with experience in telecommunications, public safety systems, real estate, and entrepreneurship. He and his wife own and operate a family printing and marketing business serving clients across Washington, the United States, and internationally. A former telecommunications systems expert who worked on cellular networks and E911 infrastructure, Andrew also holds a U.S. patent and is a licensed Real Estate Broker and Notary Public. Since making Grant County home in 2021, he has served as Chair of the Grant County Republican Party and has been active in local community initiatives. He believes government should be accountable, transparent, and fiscally responsible, with every vote and every taxpayer dollar handled with integrity.
Website: https://andrew4auditor.com
Back to Candidate Hub
Disclaimer:
This interview is presented as part of our commitment to providing accessible, local information to the community. All candidates in the 2026 Grant County Auditor’s race were given the same questions, in the same format, and the opportunity to share their perspectives directly.
The responses published here are the candidate’s own words, presented without editing, interpretation, or commentary beyond basic transcription. Audio recordings are provided alongside transcripts to ensure full transparency.
Welcome to Quincy WA News does not endorse, support, or oppose any candidate. Our role is to provide information so residents of Grant County—including the 98848 communities—can make informed decisions based on their own judgment.