Tag Archive for 'Elections'

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown unveils online Civics Toolkit

Published on January 9, 2012 in Elections, HAVA, Press Releases, Secretary Brown and Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Press Release

SALEM – Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown recently unveiled a new online Civics Tool Kit. The civic education curriculum was developed through a collaboration of efforts by local professors, teachers and Oregon elections staff. The goal is to provide a beginners guide to civics with an Oregon centric view that anyone can access and use.

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

Secretary Brown talks civics with McNary High School students

According to the most recent national civics examination, fewer than half of American eighth graders know the purpose of the Bill of Rights. In addition, only one in 10 demonstrated acceptable knowledge of the checks and balances among the legislative, executive and judicial branches.

“Democracies can only be sustained by citizens who have the basic knowledge, skills and dispositions – I think our online Civic Toolkit can help,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. “As your Secretary of State and Oregon’s chief elections officer, it is my duty to engage Oregonians in the political process.”

The toolkit is made up of 10 lessons that cover everything from your rights and responsibilities as a good citizen, the history of voting in Oregon and what you need to know before you register to vote in our great state.

You can find the online Civics Toolkit by logging onto Oregon’s Secretary of State website (Elections Division), clicking on Voter Resources then Civics Toolkit or go directly to: http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/pages/voterresources/civics-toolkit/index.html.

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 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.

Sec Brown to OR Education Association, “Your vote is your voice”

Published on October 3, 2011 in Elections, Headlines, Secretary Brown and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I’m so delighted to meet with retired members of the Oregon Education Association in Salem today. I have the deepest respect for these folks because for years they had one of the most important jobs in the world; they were teachers. As times get tough and budgets continue to shrink, I share with them the passion that keeps me excited to work in state government. As Oregon’s chief elections officer, I have made it my mission to engage Oregonians in the political process. I ran for Secretary of State because I truly believe we can make the lives of Oregonians better through the ballot box. Your vote is your voice.

Kate Brown: Postal Service Makes OR Vote-by-Mail Successful

Published on September 8, 2011 in Elections, Headlines, Press Releases, Road Trips, Secretary Brown, Social Media and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown spent her Labor Day weekend traveling to Washington D.C. where she attended a conference with postal union leaders from around the world. In her remarks she illustrated why the best way to enfranchise Americans is not through the ballot box, but through the mail box. Without a vibrant, efficient and reliable postal service, Vote By Mail would not be the resounding success that it is.

Secretary of State Kate Brown on Special Elections in First Congressional District

Published on August 4, 2011 in Elections, Headlines and Secretary Brown. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

I am pleased that the Governor has selected a date for the special general election in the First Congressional District which allows sufficient time for me to conduct a primary election. Giving voters direct say over who replaces Congressman Wu is vitally important to the democracy of Oregon.

I will be coordinating with our partners, the county clerks in the district, as well as the major and minor political parties. Please visit www.oregonvotes.org for information about election timelines.

In the meantime, voters in the First Congressional District should be assured they will participate in a fair, accurate, secure, and efficient election.

For more information, please contact:

Gina Mattioda
Director of Communications
gina.mattioda@state.or.us
503-986-2368

Questions Arise About Voter’s Pamphlet Arguments

Published on January 5, 2010 in Ballot Initiatives and Elections. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Our Elections Division has received a number of complaints about some of the arguments that made their way into the Voter’s Pamphlet for the upcoming Special Election.

The Albany Democrat Herald explains the stir-up:

The state last week mailed Voters’ Pamphlets to 1.7 million addresses. Backers and opponents paid $500 per statement to the state to have their arguments for and against the measures included.

Kevin Looper of “Our Oregon,” a Portland-based nonprofit, managed to get his arguments supporting the measures — labeled as opposition — placed last in the lineup of arguments against them. He also managed to be first in the opposition column.

This has raised the eyebrows and the ire of a number of Oregon voters, so we wanted to clear any confusion surrounding the process for filing an argument to be placed in the Voter’s Pamphlet and the role of the Secretary of State’s office in that process.

Any individual who files an argument to be printed in the voters’ pamphlet indicates on the filing form whether the argument submitted is in support or opposition to the measure. All arguments are printed in the voters’ pamphlet in the order they are received by our office. Our office then reviews each argument and if it appears that the information regarding a measure number or the designation of whether the argument supports or opposes the measure is incorrect, we contact the author to inquire if they made an error. If the author advises us that it is not an error, we are required to place the argument in the voters’ pamphlet as they have indicated, and in the order received in our office. This process is outlined and dictated by state law in ORS 251.260.

The Secretary of State’s Office does not have the legal authority to verify a given statement’s accuracy nor to edit it for content.

A recent article from the Oregonian provides a little historical background on the topic:

Here’s something to keep in mind: The secretary of state has compiled Voters’ Pamphlets since 1903. It’s a long tradition meant to help the public make important decisions. But, by law, the secretary of state cannot verify the truth and accuracy of statements in the pamphlet.

“We have a pretty strong constitutional protection of free speech in this state,” Secretary of State Kate Brown said Saturday.

Instead of state-issued statements, Brown said the Voters’ Pamphlet provides Oregonians “with a full range of arguments.”

Don’t be surprised if you detect some sarcasm and satire among those statements. The lead-off “argument” in opposition to Measure 66 was submitted by Kevin Looper, who is helping to coordinate the “pro” campaign.

In one of the most outrageous examples, in 2004, the phony “Defense of Heterosexual Breeding Coalition” put a statement in the pamphlet in support of Measure 36, a constitutional amendment recognizing that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

We hope that this clears up any misconceptions that may be out there about this process. If you have any further questions, go ahead and leave us a comment below.