Tobias Read on running for secretary of state, top issues, what’s going right

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

Tobias Read is running as a Democrat. 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 needs stability and strong leadership with successful experience in running a statewide agency with varied responsibilities. I am the only candidate for Secretary of State that checks all those boxes.

In my seven years as Treasurer, there have been four secretaries of state. That kind of turnover hampers the office’s capacity to do the work that Oregonians count on: protecting our election workers and voters from threats and intimidation, ensuring our elections are fair, and auditing state agencies to ensure that our tax dollars are being spent wisely. My experience leading Treasury for the past seven years–leading nearly 200 employees and managing a portfolio of $140+ billion dollars of investments, tens of billions of dollars of state debt and hundreds of thousands of retirement and college savings accounts–illustrates my ability to lead a complex entity like the Secretary of State’s office.

My first priority is to build trust in our elections and protect election workers and voters from intimidation or threats of violence. Our democracy is at risk when voters lack confidence in our elections. By assuring all Oregonians that our elections are safe, legitimate, and transparent, we can begin to build back that trust and increase public engagement. Taking additional steps to protect our voters and election workers, and improving transparency around our elections will encourage more participation in the process, and strengthen the health and resilience of our systems.

To support this priority I will put a particular focus on improving ballot access for all Oregonians. Oregon already has a strong elections system, but we still have work to do. We should take a close look at barriers, like waiting periods to register to vote or change parties, services like BallotTrax that send text updates to voters on the status of their ballot, and restructuring websites like ORESTAR to improve ease of access. These efforts will support increased voter participation and make for more informed citizens. I want Oregon to maintain its status as a national leader in elections, and we can’t do that unless we continue to innovate.

I’m also committed to making sure audits are not driven by political considerations but focused on making government work more efficiently and effectively. With audits the Secretary of State’s office helps ensure that our government stays accountable to its many obligations and is delivering on its promises to Oregonians. Today, many of our audits are perceived as little more than political documents when they should be tools that we can use to improve the functions of our government. I will conduct audits based on assessments of risk, just as we have done at the State Treasury.

What is your prior government/civic experience?

I have served as Oregon’s State Treasurer since 2017; I have a proven track record of results that help everyday Oregonians save for their futures. We’ve protected the pensions of more than 400,000 public servants, protected Oregon’s credit rating, and improved the capacity and resilience of Treasury.

I developed a plan to move Oregon’s pension fund to net zero carbon emissions to protect the pension from the investment risks of carbon emissions and climate change. I led the effort to save the Elliott State Forest and transform it into North America’s largest research forest.

I’ve overseen expansions of the Oregon College Savings Plan to help families find new ways to save for college through programs like the Oregon Scholars Program, Baby Grad, Kinder Grad, and even a partnership with BottleDrop. We have also expanded Oregon College Savings Plan outreach to include options for trade school and apprenticeships, recognizing that college isn’t the only path to a stable, well-paying job. We created and implemented OregonSaves, the nation’s first state-based opt-out IRA, helping Oregonians to save for retirement if they don’t have an employer-sponsored program.

Prior to my time as State Treasurer, I served as State Representative for House District 27 from 2007 to 2017. During that time, I served in numerous leadership positions, including Speaker Pro Tempore and Majority Whip as well as chairing the Transportation and Economic Development Committee among others. I helped lead the coalition that approved full-day Kindergarten in Oregon, ensuring that every child gets a good start regardless of their zip code or family income. I was also the chief sponsor of the Oregon Retirement Savings Plan, which created OregonSaves, and I helped strengthen Oregon’s Rainy Day Fund, helping upgrade the state’s credit rating.

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 Kristof?

The best way to preserve our democracy is by following the law, and the law should be applied fairly to everyone. Regardless of the candidate or office in question, I would turn to our Department of Justice for guidance on the eligibility of a candidate to be on the ballot. Secretary Griffin-Valade received such advice on the legality of removing former President Donald Trump from the ballot, and while I have not reviewed their decision in detail I trust that it was based on the law.

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?

If Oregonians do not have confidence in the individual and the office whose primary job is the oversight of our elections process, our democracy is in serious trouble, especially at a time of rampant national attempts at election interference and misinformation.

First and foremost will be operating our elections system with full transparency. I wiIl ensure that all decisions made by the office will be fully explained, with the underlying law and evidence available for anyone to review themselves. I will provide additional opportunities for Oregonians to participate in our elections system. One policy I would like to pursue takes a page from law enforcement’s practice of “ride alongs.” In California, San Benito County’s Election office offers ride alongs of election processes, including picking up ballots from drop boxes and the processing of ballots. When people can see firsthand the number of precautions that our county clerks take to ensure election security, they will have more confidence in our elections systems. This is a long-term effort, but with over one third of Oregonians saying that they distrust that the results of the next election will be based on free, fair, and transparent voting, we need to be taking steps to change the culture.

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?

Supporting Oregon’s election workers starts by listening to Oregon’s county clerks. During this campaign, I have met with 24 of our 36 county clerks already, learning about issues that they have faced and how they can be better supported by the Secretary of State’s office. County clerks are the boots on the ground, and listening to them about the challenges they are facing and their suggestions for improvement to our practices is critical. I look forward to being a visible and vocal advocate for their concerns and ensuring that the state is supporting their needs.

The Secretary of State also has a bully pulpit and I aim to use it to shine a light on important issues, like inadequate election funding. If I am elected as the next Secretary of State, I will bring my experience as State Treasurer to evaluating funding needs, and can make a strong case that increasing funding to support fair and transparent elections is a good investment.

Finally, Oregonians must also be clear that we do not tolerate intimidation or violence. I will use the legal tools available to me to protect voters and election workers from such threats.

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

Oregon can be proud of our national leadership in fairness, transparency and innovation in elections. Given the high recent turnover of Secretaries of State, however, I believe my track record of successful management of a statewide agency can bring additional stability and professionalism to the leadership of the office. In meeting with county clerks from across the state, I have heard from them that turnover in the Secretary of State’s office cuts into their ability to do their work. Focusing on the core responsibilities of elections, audits, and the corporation division, and building stronger relationships with county elections officials will ensure that we are working as a team and that the state is better served. The Secretary of State’s office will implement the recently passed campaign finance system, and capacity for executing that task will be key. My record as Treasurer speaks to my understanding of what that kind of implementation will require and I look forward to putting those lessons to work.

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

I want to restore trust and dependability to the Secretary of State’s office. The threats, violence, intimidation, against election workers that we have seen in the last few years must come to an end. As Secretary of State, I will lean on my years of experience leading a state agency to rebuild the office’s reputation and bring trust back to our state government.

Oregon is a national leader on elections policy, and I intend to continue building on that legacy. Innovative programs like satellite voting centers and services that alert voters that their ballots have been received and counted can help boost turnout and improve public trust in state government. Restoring the audit process as one driven by objective data rather than political considerations will also rebuild trust and dramatically improve the efficiency of our state agencies in delivering essential services to Oregon residents.

One area in need of improvement that I heard about from several county clerks was for better communication between the county clerks and the Secretary of State’s office. Several county clerks mentioned that they had not been involved in conversations with the Secretary of State’s office about changes coming to their offices. Changes to policies would be strengthened by incorporating feedback coming from the people who are actually implementing the policies and procedures: the county clerks.

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