P R E S S   R E L E A S E

Secretary of State SHEMIA FAGAN The State of Oregon

Contact: Ben Morris, 971-209-5521, ben.morris@sos.oregon.gov

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announces 2023 Oregon Kid Governor: Lea Andrus

Fifth grader from Hawks View Elementary in Sherwood Oregon elected Oregon’s 5th Kid Governor

Sherwood, OR – Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced the winner of the 2023 Oregon Kid Governor® (ORKG): Lea Andrus of Sherwood. Secretary Fagan traveled to Hawks View Elementary for the announcement and to congratulate Lea Andrus in person.

Every candidate for Oregon Kid Governor chooses a platform. Lea’s platform is ending bullying. To address her vision, Lea outlined a plan to foster connections between classmates through a weekly note program she calls Tootles. She also plans to help schools appoint “kindness helpers” and promote daily acts of kindness. Her campaign video can be viewed here.

Lea was selected from numerous candidates across the state by Oregon fifth graders.

“More than 3,200 students and 127 classrooms participated in this year’s election,” said Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. “The Oregon Kid Governor program is an incredible civic education program that teaches young Oregonians how their government works. I support this program because it gives a real-life civics education to young kids. The free program provides toolkits, lesson plans, and Oregon specific education tools celebrating Oregon democracy.”

The Kid Governor program was started by the Connecticut Democracy Center in 2015 to introduce Civics Education to fifth graders. In 2017, Oregon became the second state in the nation to implement the program. Oregon Kid Governor is open to all fifth graders in Oregon and those interested create a 1-to-3-minute video explaining:

• Why they should be Kid Governor
• Their leadership skills
• A community issue that is important to them
• Their three-point plan to address the specific community issue

Twenty-two videos were submitted this year and were narrowed down to seven by a panel of independent judges. Once the seven candidates were finalized, fifth graders from schools across the state voted, and selected Lea as Oregon’s next Kid Governor. Lea is Oregon’s fifth Kid Governor.

Lea’s one year term will begin in January 2023 with an inauguration.

The other final candidates and their community issues included:

• Amelia—Community issue: Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Avah—Community issue: Racism
• Clyde—Community issue: Healthier schools
• Elle—Community issue: Pollution
• Indulekha—Community issue: Healthcare
• Kate—Community issue: Pollution

All of the finalists for Oregon Kid Governor will now become cabinet members who will help work to advance their platform issues, along with the Oregon Kid Governor’s platform.

To learn more about the Kid Governor Program and to view all the candidates' videos go to: http://or.kidgovernor.org/.

You may also contact Nikki Fisher, Civic and Education Elections Director at 503-302-9618 or Nikki.Fisher@OR.KidGovernor.org.

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About Secretary Shemia Fagan

Pronunciation: shuh-MEE-uh (rhymes with “Maria”) FAY-gen (rhymes with “Megan”)

Shemia Fagan is Oregon’s 28th Secretary of State. She grew up in small Oregon towns, Dufur and The Dalles, and was raised by her single dad and two older brothers. Her public service began on her local school board. She was later elected to the Oregon House of Representatives, then to the Oregon State Senate. Secretary Fagan was a civil rights attorney before being elected to Secretary of State in 2020. She stays busy keeping up with her young children, teaching her dog not to jump on people and being a fanatic for women’s basketball.

About Oregon SOS

The Oregon Secretary of State is one of three constitutional offices created at statehood. Oregon’s Secretary of State is Oregon’s chief elections officer, chief auditor, chief archivist, and oversees business and nonprofit filings. The Secretary of State also serves as one of three members of the State Land Board and as the chair of the Oregon Sustainability Board. Under Article V, Section 8a of the Oregon Constitution, if there is a vacancy in the office of Governor, the Secretary of State becomes governor. As an independently elected constitutional officer, the Secretary of State answers directly and solely to the people of Oregon.

Our Mission

Build trust between the people of Oregon and their state government so Oregonians trust the public services that can make a positive difference in their everyday lives.