It?s Hot in Oregon and it?s not the Weather

by Tara Young // Published May 2, 2008
There is a hot primary happening on the Democratic ticket and it's not the presidential race. In Oregon, the secretary of state's race is heating up, and this Saturday three state senators – Kate Brown, Rick Metsger and Vicki Walker will debate.

All three candidates Brown -- a lawyer, Metsger -- a former television reporter, and Walker -- a former court reporter would bring different viewpoints to the office if elected.

On May 3, 2008, for two hours voters in Oregon will hear, know and understand their differences on campaign finances, transparency, Instant Runoff Voting and other election reform issues.

Alliance for Democracy and the Democracy Action Group of Portland's First Unitarian Church are the organizers and an example of people who get together to make a difference. They understand the importance of the secretary of state election.

The secretary of state is the gatekeeper to fair elections, which is the cornerstone of our democracy. Too often the secretary of state's race is overshadowed by the presidential or the state's governor race, but this year FairVote has launched the Democracy SoS Project.

The project is in the process of building a broad coalition of local and national organizations from different political ideologies that educate voters about the platform and plans of those running for secretary of state office. In addition, FairVote will spotlight the good, the bad, and the ugly practices managed by election officials across the country in our SoS Spotlight.

We are proud to have Alliance for Democracy and the Democracy Action Group of Portland's First Unitarian Church as coalition members and encourage those in Oregon to attend. The debate starts at 10 a.m. and following the debate those in attendance will participant in a mock election, using an Instant Runoff Ballot.

All the action takes place at First Unitarian Church located at 1211 SW Main. For more information call Judy Barnes at 503.232.1911.

For more information about the states with secretary of state elections go to www.fairvote.org and Democracy SoS under our programs.