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.

Secretary of State Auditors Find School Funding Error
State distributed too much of the Common Schools Fund to schools

Salem – A state audit released on Tuesday found that the Department of State Lands distributed about $75.7 million of the principal of the Common School Fund, along with investment earnings in the 2001-2007 period. The Oregon Constitution only allows earnings on the principal to be distributed. The principal was about $830 million last June. The auditors recommend more detailed accounting of the funds.

“The State Land Board wants to ensure our decisions comply with the Constitutional restrictions on these funds, and the Department has changed its accounting methods to avoid these inadvertent reductions,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. The Constitution creates the State Land Board, comprised of the Secretary of State, Governor, and Treasurer.

The Common School Fund was created at statehood with the purpose of generating income from state lands for school funding. Unclaimed property was included later by statute, with its earnings also designated for schools. The State Land Board distributed about $90 million to $100 million in each of the last three biennia for K-12 school funding.

“More detailed accounting would ensure that the restricted funds are clearly identified,” said Gary Blackmer, Audits Director. The Common School Fund principal can be restored in future years from investment earnings, he added.

The report, including the agency response, can be found at www.sos.state.or.us/audits.

For more information, contact:

Andrea Cantu-Schomus
Communications Director
Oregon Secretary of State
503-986-2368
503-507-0082

Engaging Oregonians; Innovating for the Future; Delivering Results

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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

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

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.

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.

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 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.

Secretary Brown visits McNary High School to talk civics

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

Secretary Brown addressing the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce

Secretary of State Kate Brown traveled down to the beautiful Rogue Valley to address the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday, November 14, 2011. Secretary Brown spoke during the lunch hour about why she is optimistic for Oregon’s future. She also explained the small but important ways her office is putting Oregonians back to work. By streamlining bureaucracy, auditing community colleges for future labor market needs, and creative private-public partnerships Secretary Brown is contributing to the growth of Oregon’s economy.

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