Did Sec-State violate electioneering laws?

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

With 11 days before election night, Oregon’s top election official, Secretary of State Tobias Read, is using government resources to promote town halls with candidates who are on the ballot.  These notices came from the Secretary of State’s office.    Tobias Read put on the town hall  as seen above with Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, Representative Ron Nosse and Representative Willy Chotzen who are all candidates on the ballot.

Another one of Read’s town halls features U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley who is running in the May election with a primary challenger.

The Secretary of State should refrain from featuring active candidates during the period at which ballots are in people’s hands. Electioneering laws are meant to create buffers between government election activities and political campaigns.

This blurs the line on the State’s top election official being non-political during the critical final few days of a campaign.

The Secretary of State should stay away from promoting candidates during the election cycle when ballots are in the mail.   It is a simple rule.

We are researching into the electioneering rules, but we definitely believe the spirit of electioneering rules and appearance of being nonpolitical is being violated.  Please share your thoughts.

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