Archive for the 'Headlines' Category

Welcome Stephen Thorsett, new president of Willamette U!

Published on February 10, 2012 in Headlines, Secretary Brown, Social Media and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
Secretary Brown welcomes Stephen Thorsett, new president of Willamette University

Kate Brown, Bud Lane, Stephen Thorsett

It was an honor to be among the many distinguished guests to welcome Stephen Thorsett as the newest president of Willamette University. Thorsett grew up in Salem as the son of a biology professor at Willamette. The campus was his playground as a child. While higher education and his career took him away from Oregon we are proud to welcome him back. I can certainly understand why he chose to move his family to our great state. Thorsett comes to us from the University of California Santa Cruz where he was the dean of physical and biological sciences. He left the beach and all that sun behind to lead one of Oregon’s most prestigious instituitions of higher education.

During my time in the legislature and as Secretary of State, I have had the pleasure of working with countless Willamette graduates. You can see the campus from most windows of the capitol and there is surely a special relationship. I am confident Mr. Thorsett will carry on the excellence Willamette is known for. As a professor of astronomy and astrophysics, Mr. Thorsett can help students reach for the stars.

Presidential candidates to appear on Oregon’s presidential primary ballot

Published on February 7, 2012 in Elections, Headlines, Press Releases, Secretary Brown, Social Media and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Press Release
Salem, Oregon

SALEM – Secretary Brown has determined which Democratic and Republican presidential candidates qualify for Oregon’s presidential primary ballot in May. The sole Democratic candidate on the ballot is President Barack Obama. Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum will all appear on the Republican ballot.

“I want Oregonians to have ample time to educate themselves on the candidates,” says Secretary of State Kate Brown. “I encourage all eligible Oregonians to participate in the political process. Your vote is your voice and all Oregonians deserve to be heard.”

There are two ways for presidential candidates to be included on the ballot in Oregon. The most common is at the Secretary of State’s sole discretion, if the candidate is a figure nationally recognized by the news media. Candidates not chosen in this manner can be included by submitting a nominating petition filed with the Secretary of State, after gathering valid signatures from 1,000 registered voters in each of the Oregon’s five congressional districts.

Only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in Oregon’s presidential primary elections. The last day to register in order to be eligible to vote is Tuesday, April 24, 2012.

For more information, contact:
Andrea Cantu-Schomus
503-989-2368

Secretary Brown says both parties should open primaries to non-affiliated voters

Published on February 6, 2012 in Elections, Headlines, Press Releases and Secretary Brown. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

PRESS RELEASE

SALEM – Secretary Brown applauds the decision by the Republican Party to partially open its primary to non-affiliated voters in May. The Republican Party submitted their request early Monday morning. While the request only includes three statewide races, Secretary Brown encourages both the Republicans and the Democrats to include all partisan races. Oregon currently has more than 420,000 non-affiliated voters registered in the state.

“More than a fifth or one-in-five voters in Oregon are registered non-affiliated,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. “Allowing these voters to cast a ballot in the May primaries would give a large part of our electorate a voice. It is my mission as your Chief Elections Officer to engage more Oregonians in the political process.”

Secretary Brown is working with her elections team to determine how to accommodate the Republican’s request. She expects to release details within the week.

For more information, please contact 
Andrea Cantu-Schomus
503-989-2368

Spread the word – Beware of business registration scams!

Published on January 27, 2012 in Corporation, Headlines and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
Peter Threlkel, Director of Corporation Division

Peter Threlkel, Director of Secretary of State Corporation Division, speaks with KATU about the scam

Thank you to KATU news for helping us get the word out about a possible Business Registration scam in the Salem area.

Our Corporations office received more than 600 calls in the last week. Corporation Director Peter Threlkel spoke with reporter Kerry Tomlinson on Friday about our efforts to educate  the public and our cooperation with the Department of Justice to help shut the down the scam.

For more information about the scam, read about the Corporate Regulatory Committee Annual Report scam and also Business Alert – Possible Deceptive Business Annual Report Notice Mailing on the Oregon Secretary of State site.

Secretary Brown unveils Civics Toolkit at local high schools

Published on January 6, 2012 in Elections, HAVA, Headlines, Press Releases, Secretary Brown and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown Talks Civics at West Salem High School

Secretary Brown rolls out the new online Civics Toolkit

After more than two weeks off for the holidays, students welcomed Secretary Brown to their Government classes to talk civics. The secretary unveiled the online Civics Toolkit developed by her staff, local teachers and professors. Students got a first look at the 10 online lessons which cover everything from how to be a good citizen to how to register to vote. Secretary Brown encouraged students to get involved in the political process and reminded the teens that here in Oregon you can register to vote when you are 17 years old.

Reflecting on the day, Brown observed: “These students were sharp. Many had a great knowledge of Oregon and its government. We hope they find the Civics Toolkit online, learn it and share it. Special thanks to teachers Jason Whiteley and Doug Parker for opening up their classroom. These guys do an excellent job!”

You don’t need to be a teacher or student to take advantage of it. The Civics Toolkit is on the Secretary of State website at http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/pages/voterresources/civics-toolkit/index.html. Everyone is welcome to download these free resources and bone up on elections civics.

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown Tells McNary High School Students About New Civics Toolkit

Secretary Brown visits McNary High School to talk civics

Bing Video: Oregon makes voting accessible with iPad

Published on November 20, 2011 in Elections, Headlines, Secretary Brown, Special Elections and Special Primary. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

MSNBC featured the success of Oregon’s pilot program making iPads accessible to voters with disabilities in the first congressional district. Oregon Secretary Kate Brown and Lori Steele, Chairman and CEO of Everyone Counts, Inc were both interviewed by MSNBC’s Craig Melvin.

Secretary Brown shared her optimism about the pilot and explained that the second phase will kick off in January with the General Election. After the General election, officials will gather information from those who used the iPad - disability groups and county elections crews - to decide if the technology will be implemented statewide.

Watch the video: Oregon tests voting by iPad

Sec Brown Launches Pilot to Make Voting More Accessible

Published on November 2, 2011 in Elections, Headlines, Press Releases, Road Trips, Secretary Brown, Special Elections, Special Primary and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .
County Clerk Maeve Grimes exploring voting assistive device with Sec Brown

County Clerk Maeve Grimes exploring voting assistive device with Secretary Brown

On Tuesday, Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown concluded her tour of all five Oregon counties taking part in the November 8 special primary election. These five counties are part of a pilot project lead by the Secretary of State’s Elections Division. With a goal of making voting more accessible to those with disabilities, each of the counties were given a portable computer or iPad. The applications available on the iPad can assist Oregon voters with limited visibility or other issues causing them difficulty filling out their mail-in ballots.

In Washington County, Deborah Houghton a resident at an assisted living facility found the iPad helpful because she couldn’t read the fine print on her ballot. Members of Washington County’s Voter Assistance Team brought the iPad to Deborah. Using the screen to make the print larger Deborah was able to read the voter’s guide and the ballot for herself and vote. “This is so much better,” said Deborah. “I’ll be back in January to use the iPad again.”

If the pilot proves successful, the state elections office will make iPad’s available to all 36 counties. “I won my first race for the Oregon House of Representatives by seven votes,” said Secretary Brown. “I know how important every vote is and as your Secretary of State I am working hard to make voting more accessible to all eligible Oregonians

Andrea Cantu-Schomus
Communications Director
Oregon Secretary of State
andrea.l.cantu-schomus@state.or.us
503-986-2368
503-507-0082

Sec Brown and Sen Courtney honor Oregon’s longest serving employee

Published on October 28, 2011 in Archives, Headlines and Secretary Brown. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Secretary of State Kate Brown and Senate President Peter Courtney spoke at the unveiling of a special memorial plaque for Cecil L. Edwards. The plaque commemorates his service as perhaps Oregon’s longest serving employee. Cecil started working in Oregon in 1933 as a floor secretary and became the Chief of Staff to Governor Charles Sprague, Chief Clerk of the Oregon House, Secretary of the Senate, and finally Historian of the Oregon Senate. In addition, then-Secretary of State Norma Paulus dedicated the Oregon Blue Book to Cecil in 1983. Photos: http://ow.ly/7cwEJ

Sec Brown Describes Vision for Future to PolitiCorps Fellows

Published on October 21, 2011 in Headlines, Press Releases and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

PolitiCorps Year of Service Luncheon, 10/21/2011

Secretary of State Kate Brown spoke today to The Bus Project’s PolitiCorps Year of Service Fellows about her ideas for the future of Oregon.

The Bus Project’s PolitiCorps Fellowship attracts some of the smartest and most effective young organizers from across the country for a ten-week intensive leadership training. PolitiCorps Fellows are college seniors or recent graduates who have demonstrated a commitment to progressive values and a deep interest in forward-thinking public policy and the political process. They come from every state in the nation, and from a wide variety of experiential and cultural backgrounds. The Year of Service Fellows dedicate at least one year to work for the public interest in Oregon.

Sec Brown Presents Awards to Living Legends at Bus Project Event

Published on October 17, 2011 in Elections, Headlines, Press Releases and Secretary Brown. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

The Bus Project Wheelies Awards, 10/10/2011

Secretary Brown at Bus Project Wheelies AwardsSecretary of State Kate Brown was honored to present the Legend Award at this year’s Bus Project Wheelies Award show. Secretary Brown has been affiliated with the Bus Project for years in no small part because their grassroots work registering young Oregonians to vote is crucial to democracy in this great state.  

The Wheelies Awards recognize leaders, volunteers, organizations and businesses which are changing Oregon for the better. This year the Legend Award went to all living former Secretaries of State for their efforts to make Oregonians some of the most active and engaged citizens in the nation. According to Secretary Brown, “Oregon has been blessed with Secretaries of State who believe democracy should be for everybody, voting should be accessible and every vote must be counted.”

This year Secretary Brown and Joe Smith, former Umatilla County District Attorney, presented the Legend Award to Norma Paulus, Barbara Roberts, Phil Kiesling, and Bill Bradbury.

Norma Paulus, who served from 1977 to 1985, was the first woman in Oregon to win election to statewide office and protect the security of Oregon’s voting by stopping the followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh from stealing a local election.

Barbara Roberts, who served from 1985 to 1991, passed election reforms and worked closely with county clerks throughout Oregon to create ADA-accessible polling places.

Phil Kiesling, who served from 1991 to 1999, was Oregon’s knight in shining armor for vote by mail.

And Bill Bradbury, who served 1999-2009, increased elections transparency by hosting ORESTAR reporting for campaign spending and contributions.