Dennis Linthicum on running for secretary of state, top issues, what’s going right

Michaela Bourgeois
·9 min read
1

KOIN 6 News contacted candidates who are running for Oregon secretary of state in 2024, asking them to respond to these four questions:

  • Why are you running for secretary of state? If elected, what would be your top priorities?

  • What is your prior government/civic experience?

  • Sometimes, the secretary of state has to decide whether to remove candidates from the ballot. How would you have handled the decision whether to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot and the decision to remove 2022 gubernatorial candidate Nick Kristoff?

  • In 2023, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade joined the nationwide #TrustedInfo2024 campaign to increase trust in election officials amid the spread of misinformation surrounding elections and voter information. If elected, how would you build trust in Oregon elections?

  • A Reed College study, published in 2023, found county election offices in Oregon are struggling to retain and recruit workers amid a “toxic” political landscape, inadequate funding, and a rapidly changing workload. How will you support Oregon election workers?

  • What do you think is going right in the secretary of state’s office? How would you build on it?

  • What changes do you want to bring to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office?

Dennis Linthicum is running as a Republican. Here are his responses.

Why are you running for secretary of state? If elected, what would be your top priorities?

The Secretary of State’s office fulfills four essential services. Firstly, it oversees elections and ensures their integrity, a duty that I believe has suffered under a prevailing single-sided mindset within the office. Repairing this tarnished image will be a primary focus, as public perception and trust in the electoral process has been severely impacted. Transparency and genuine empathy for divergent perspectives is lacking because the office seems to prioritize the majority party’s narrative over its own fiduciary responsibility. This needs to be corrected to ensure fair and open access to voters.

Secondly, the office is responsible for auditing executive branch offices and departments. The auditing function is a proficiency test for these executive agencies. Like proficiency standards for high school graduates, audits provide a metric to measure performance and identify areas for improvement. Timely, accurate, and comprehensive audits are necessary to enhance departmental efficiency and service.

The Secretary of State also serves two other major roles, one as a member of the State Land Board and the other, as the chair of the Oregon Sustainability Board. My rural lifestyle, having lived off-the-grid for 30 years, plus my deep background in the agricultural and ranching communities provides me with strategic insight into issues facing all Oregonians. I bring a well-rounded understanding of the issues facing sustainable land use and the symbiotic relationship needed for private sector productivity which is a major contributor to Oregon’s economy and represents a majority of Oregon’s forest, agriculture, and mineral resources.

What is your prior government/civic experience?

I have been the State Senator for District 28, including parts of No. Eastern Jackson County, Southern Deschutes, and all of Klamath County for eight years. Before the last redistricting effort, Senate District 28 included all of Lake and all of Crook Counties. Prior to becoming a Senator, I served as a Klamath County Commissioner.

With a background as a trained economist and being a large-scale information-systems manager, a former Oregon Construction Contractor Board license holder, and rancher deeply engaged in land management and sustainability issues, I bring a wealth of technical and managerial expertise to the table. My extensive experience uniquely positions me to unlock the full potential of individuals and seize service opportunities to achieve positive outcomes for all Oregonians.

Sometimes, the secretary of state has to decide whether to remove candidates from the ballot. How would you have handled the decision whether to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot and the decision to remove 2022 gubernatorial candidate Nick Kristoff?

I would not keep Trump off the ballot given the facts as I currently understand them. In particular, these various state secretaries identified Trump as the “leader of an insurrection.” If this were true, their actions might be justified. However, not one person, not even President Donald Trump was ever charged with “insurrection” with connection to the [January 6] events in Washington, DC.

Since the claim of “insurrection” is not supported by any formal, adjudicated response from the courts, the respective secretaries crossed the line for unbiased decision making and their decisions represent unacceptable behavior.

With Nick Kristoff the same fair and even-handed enforcement mechanisms should be applied. Did the candidate meet the residency rules or not? Given the details as I know them today, I would have also removed Mr. Kristoff because of noncompliance with the residency requirements for his gubernatorial bid.

In 2023, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade joined the nationwide #TrustedInfo2024 campaign to increase trust in election officials amid the spread of misinformation surrounding elections and voter information. If elected, how would you build trust in Oregon elections?

This hashtag was not an accidental, impulse driven, public interest effort by Oregon’s Secretary of State. Rather the hashtag was developed as a nationwide attempt by the Democrat party to defend against obvious problems stemming from the 2020 election. Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade joined the nationwide hashtag stunt and contributed to the growing cloud of suspicion and distrust that has plagued the Democrat party.

Oregon’s two previous secretaries should have avoided following the PR mistakes made by the single-party mindset and focused on serving the people with dignity, transparency and integrity.

Changing the focus of the secretary’s office toward serving the public interests – across all voters, in every situation and circumstance – would build trust in the office. Increasing election integrity, transparency and accountability is precisely what the Secretary of State’s office needs.

It is well known that confidence in elections directly corresponds to individual freedom. When the public is confident that election processes generate fair outcomes, citizens sense freedom because they govern themselves. On the other hand, when elections are widely understood as pre-ordained and staged (such as in Iran or Venezuela), citizens realize they do not govern themselves and they are not free. This despite any number of PR stunts or hashtags promoted by the office.

A Reed College study, published in 2023, found county election offices in Oregon are struggling to retain and recruit workers amid a “toxic” political landscape, inadequate funding, and a rapidly changing workload. How will you support Oregon election workers?

Performing one’s job with enthusiasm is always challenging when integrity issues linger unresolved. Partisan problems contribute to this challenge as division and then tribalism often erupts.

The best answer to the problems highlighted in the Reed College study will come from a new office executive who will provide fair and balanced, non-partisan leadership. Internal offices and their respective duties would be realigned to meet immediate priorities with an even-hand and avoid politically tainted biases.

In fostering an environment of appreciation, organizations can cultivate a culture where genuine pride in one’s work flourishes naturally. Leaders play a crucial role in modeling appreciation, providing regular feedback, and ensuring that employees feel valued and motivated to excel. This alone will change public perception. Just as individuals in the private sector value transparent information exchange, so too the public sector benefits from openness and collaboration rather than resorting to the defensive posture of an information gate keeper. The information censorship issues that plague Oregon politics can be resolved by my leadership style.

What do you think is going right in the secretary of state’s office? How would you build on it?

As can be seen on the home webpage for the Secretary of State, the office has pledged to focus on integrity – grounded in transparency, accountability and fairness. I would stress these principles and ensure follow-up within the office to improve on all three of aspects of integrity.

Transparency and openness are the most relevant issues needing to be addressed. As an illustration, I participated in 2022, with a request for ballot images in Jackson County, one of the counties in my Senate District. These images are kept for two years and are supposed to be available for public perusal.

The county clerk responded with cost estimate of $982,896.17. This is not illustrative of a system that is transparent, fair, or accountable. As citizens we were interested in investigating the question of voter fraud.

Did fraud exist; was it widespread or insignificant?

The public still does not know. The public was essentially denied access by the exorbitant one-million-dollar fee. The rule that created this charge came from the Secretary of State not the legislature and is a policy that deserves a thorough review.

People become fearful and start looking for, or imagining, fraudulent manipulations because legitimate questions have been raised and not appropriately addressed. The information hidden behind the unconscionable price tag rightly belongs to the public and the public should be able to audit any election for their precinct and county alike.

What changes do you want to bring to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office?

I would focus on election integrity issues and steer the office toward fulfilling its obligation to the taxpayers.

Oregonians also deserve timely and accurate departmental and process audits. Conducting comprehensive reviews of various high-level agencies ensures their efficient operations and effective delivery of statutory services. Moreover, maintaining public visibility and transparency throughout the auditing process fosters trust and confidence in government operations while adhering to statutory guidelines.

I would begin with a focus on departments and agencies that have a statewide impact. Departments such as Education, Environmental Quality, Water Resources, Transportation, and Justice. This would be a sensible approach to ensure effective governance and accountability. These departments typically handle significant budgets and have a direct impact on citizens’ daily lives. Conducting regular audits in these areas helps identify areas for improvement, ensure compliance with regulations, and optimize resource allocation.

Furthermore, addressing unique circumstances and shifting resources based on risk assessment, legislative requirements, and organizational priorities is essential for adapting audit strategies to evolving needs. Flexibility in resource allocation allows for targeted audits where they are most needed and ensures that audits remain relevant and effective over time.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.