You hear a lot of things when you’re a candidate for Oregon Secretary of State. You become a lightning rod for people with accusations. But rather than react, as many wish I would, I’m investigating to make sure there’s enough there to take it to the next step. It’s easy to accuse and fold to the pressure of issuing a sound bite but that’s not my style.

Early on I consulted with both former Secretary of State Phil Keisling and former State Auditor John Lattimer. One of the things Keisling suggested turns out to be the best piece of advice I’ve had so far. I’m meeting with elections clerks all over the state. So far I’ve sat in the offices of more than a dozen of them.  What I’m learning is what will and what won’t work when it comes to the Elections Department.

My list of questions ranges from voter registration and ID to the 20 day cut off date for registration. We also talk about centralization of the initiative process. What I’ve learned so far is what works for the larger counties may not work for the less populated. What we decide on the west side needs to take into account that there is an east side of Oregon.  

I have some ideas that I now know will work but still have many clerks yet to visit. I am working hard to get the full picture of what’s going on. I remember in my former life as a journalist there were plenty of stories I wanted to run with but learned early on that that’s not the way to do business, even when people are pushing hard for answers. Fairness, balance and accuracy are the names of the game.