VOTE411 Voter Guide

Most voters trust our vote-by-mail election administration. But, due to repeated unfounded claims, more people have doubts than 4 to 8 years ago. I continue to lead our team in providing abundant accurate information and showing people that democracy works.

Keeping staff and on-site voters safe and elections secure is an ongoing challenge. Collaboration with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts and agencies at all levels is ongoing, including tabletop exercises and adoption of enhanced security tools and practices.

Adequate funding is a challenge. I continue to advocate for appropriate funding, including with our Board of Commissioners, State Representatives, & our Congressional Delegation. I also look for and have used grants.

I've been serving as the Marion County Clerk since 2005. I've earned the designation of Certified County Clerk from the Oregon Association of County Clerks based on experience, accomplishments, and continuing education. I've earned a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. I'm a Certified Elections/Voter Registration Administrator through the National Association of Elections Administrators and Auburn University. I've earned a certificate in public leadership from Pepperdine University and the International Association of Government Officials (iGO). I serve as the Oregon delegation director to the iGO and as the Conference Elections Committee Chair.

I will continue to communicate about election administration as widely and clearly as possible. Live people answer our phone lines. We send a voter pamphlet to each residential address 5 weeks before Election Day. I speak wherever invited and use media. We offer "Track Your Ballot". I encourage people to visit and observe our processes. I collaborate with the Oregon Association of County Clerks, our Secretary of State and national organizations to promote elections. We work with various law enforcement and cybersecurity agencies to keep elections safe and secure. During Covid, we switched from indoor ballot drop boxes to several outdoor 24/7 safe, secure, convenient ballot drop boxes. We help each voter asking for aid. Communication is key.

The greatest challenges facing the County Clerk's office are misinformation and the lack of understanding of what the County Clerk position is mandated to do. The only way to combat both of these challenges is to use facts and keep educating the public. Educational outreach with facts may not be able to overcome all of the misinformation that is constantly being sent out via electronic means, radio and television, but it is the best way there is. Encouraging engagement of the public, especially in the elections portion of the Clerk's office, is a way to improve the overall understanding of how that process works.

I have had similar responsibilities to the County Clerk's office as a City Recorder here in Oregon and as a Town Clerk in Maine. While City Recorder, I learned about records management and while a Town Clerk in Maine I supervised elections under both the local election laws and the State and Federal election law. I have team and supervisory experience. I understand the importance of following any and all ORSs for all parts of the Clerk's office duties, not just elections.

Education outreach for elections is the way to build trust in the county's election process. Going to the schools to teach how the process works without actually getting into political discussions; going to speak to clubs and groups and answering questions with facts about the processes used in the registration and vote by mail process and hopefully being able to use social media to just get the information out to people who have questions. Giving tours of the facility and encouraging citizens to see for themselves how the process works.

The greatest challenge of the County Clerk is to return trust and confidence to the people that they can trust their elections and that they are a good use of their time to participate in. I want to be a Clerk that is willing to go the extra mile to return that confidence by being transparent about the election system. Forthright, respectful and truthful is how I will address the voters.

I have worked as an election worker since 2016. I have participated in the processes of tallying the votes, watched and learned how things are done. I have studied on my own the different types of elections possible and investigated the Marion County voter rolls by going out and canvassing door to door to determine their accuracy. I have educated the public at the state and county fairs regarding websites that can help each voter learn tools that they can easily use to help them vote more confidently.

The steps I would take to build trust is first and foremost to bring transparency and honesty to a process that most of the public no longer feels a part of. Many no longer understand the elections process, and thereby many don't have confidence that it is worth participating in. I am willing to take the time to listen to the questions and answer them including by saying I don't know but I am willing to search out the answer. I am genuine in my desire that every voter know that their ballot is valuable and powerful. Added with ballots we build a working, functional community here in Marion County.