My Agenda for a Better Oregon

“If we want a better government, we need to step forward. That’s what I’m doing in this race.“

1. We need a Secretary of State we can trust to be fair, accountable, and independent.

I’m a lifelong independent – the only true independent in this race. And shouldn’t we have someone truly independent administering our elections? To me, the idea of having a partisan Secretary of State is ridiculous and absurd. How can they possibly – without partisan bias – be trusted to fairly oversee our elections? Elections are the lifeblood of our democracy; they are the means by which we – the people – shape the future we want to live in. That’s why I believe:

• Voting should be as easy as possible. Oregon already has one of the highest rates of voter participation in the nation, and that’s great. Because it means that our elected officials are more likely to truly represent us. But we can do even better, which is why I believe it’s vital to make voting as easy as possible for all eligible voters.
• Voting should be absolutely reliable and trustworthy. Our elections should accurately represent the will of the voters, which means every vote needs to be counted, and counted accurately.
• The electoral rules should be clear, fair, and administered impartially. Ballot initiatives allow us to have our voices heard directly on the issues we care about. That’s a great privilege, and one we need to protect. As your independent Secretary of State, partisan considerations won’t have any influence on the decisions I make about the initiatives you’ll get to vote on.

2. We need a government that performs better.

Oregon is a state where the Secretary of State is responsible for auditing public finances. And not just finances – the Secretary of State can also conduct performance audits, to pro-actively determine how well services are being delivered, and how they can be delivered even more effectively and efficiently.

I’m an expert in both forms of auditing – financial and performance. Which means I’m more qualified than any other candidate to ensure that the governments that represent you, and spend your tax dollars – schools, state agencies, municipalities – are doing so wisely. As the most technically competent (and only independent) leader of the State Auditing function, you can trust that your government is doing better with the precious resources we entrust to it.