One Year In – Building Trust with Oregonians

Year In Review Newsletter

One year ago, I raised my right hand and took an oath to serve you as Oregon’s Secretary of State. That oath came with a promise to work every day to earn your trust by running this office with integrity, competence, transparency and accountability.

This first year was about listening carefully and acting deliberately to lay a strong foundation for the work ahead. I’d like to share with you what we’ve accomplished so far and how we’re continuing to build a Secretary of State’s office worthy of your confidence.

Showing Up For Democracy, County by County

First and foremost, I committed to traveling throughout the state to meet face-to-face with each of Oregon’s 36 county clerks. These clerks are the beating heart of our democracy. They maintain voter rolls, distribute ballots and count votes. Elections simply cannot happen without them.

I also reviewed their security protocols and inspected voting machines. I followed the entire process from the moment a ballot is picked up to the moment it’s counted.

Here’s what I saw again and again:

• County clerks are professionals who take their responsibility seriously.
• They carry out their work with diligence and integrity.
• They are there for Oregonians during a community’s most important moments: birth, death, marriage, property transactions and elections.
• They may not look the same, vote the same or live the same way. But every clerk has a deep commitment to public service and to our democracy.

I learned a lot from these visits about how our office can provide the support they need in advance of the next election.

Defending Your Right to Vote

I never imagined that defending Oregonians’ right to vote would mean standing up to the federal government and foreign influences determined to dismantle our safe and secure vote-by-mail system. It’s become a central part of this job. But I embrace it as an honor and a privilege.

When these outsiders demanded access to your private voter data, I told them no. Now, they’re suing us. But I learned early on in life that doing the right thing matters, even when there’s a cost.

You entrusted the Oregon Secretary of State’s office with your personal information. I take that responsibility seriously and I will use every tool at my disposal to make sure we keep that trust.

Supporting Oregon Businesses

Another big priority for us is doing everything we can to support Oregon’s businesses. That includes making sure entrepreneurs can register new businesses as quickly, easily, and efficiently as possible.

The Corporation Division helped nearly 90,000 entrepreneurs register their businesses this year.

But for too long, outdated systems – microfiche, multiple databases and unnecessary complexity have slowed people down, which means not every business owner got the help they needed in a timely way, and many calls were dropped. That has to change. We’re making big moves to improve customer service so that when someone has a great idea or a prototype sitting in their garage ready to become something more, we’re there to help instead of being a barrier.

I want our Corporation Division to be part of Oregon’s next rebound. I want us to support the next Intel, HP, Nike or Columbia before they ever make headlines.

Preserving Oregon’s Story

The Oregon State Archives has continued preserving Oregon’s history through government records. The archivists are in a race against time to digitize audio tapes, negatives and film threatened by “vinegar syndrome” that causes them to deteriorate.

The Archives Division also publishes the Oregon Blue Book, the official almanac and fact book for the State of Oregon. This year we released the 2025-2026 edition, with a special color feature for the 50^th anniversary of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. The Oregon Blue Book is distributed statewide and available at our website and independent bookstores around the state.