Oregon’s elections are secure, and the state is doing everything it can to resist unconstitutional demands from the Trump administration that undermine state and local elections, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said Monday. With the primary upcoming, Read hosted an afternoon town hall to address election security concerns alongside Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, […]
A free Oregon health care program for adults who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid could have improperly given out $15 million in payments related to benefits for recipients, according to a recent audit of state-managed federal programs. The “questioned” funds surfaced in an 124-page report this week by the Secretary of State’s […]
Opponents of gas tax hikes are once again suing the state of Oregon over a law that rescheduled the date of a gas tax referendum from November to May. The Right to Vote on the Gas Tax Political Action Committee — organized by Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Dundee; Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Scio, and the Taxpayer Association […]
A Marion County Circuit Court judge said he will rule quickly on a case brought against the Oregon Secretary of State by GOP lawmakers and voters over the timing of a gas tax referendum. Senior Judge David Leith on Tuesday heard roughly an hour-and-a-half of arguments from a lawyer for the plaintiffs and a lawyer […]
Republican leaders of a successful petition to pause gas tax and transportation fee hikes until a citizen vote are suing the state over a new law rescheduling that vote. Gov. Tina Kotek signed Senate Bill 1599 into law shortly after it passed the House on Monday, clearing the way for voters to have a say […]
A call with federal officials and state election officers ahead of the 2026 election was full of bluster and mostly free of facts, according to Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read. Read, a Democrat elected in 2024, had Deputy Secretary of State Michael Kaplan join a Wednesday video meeting with state election officers and several […]
The Oregon Legislature yet again delayed a vote on one of the most politically contentious bills of the year’s short legislative session to reschedule a referendum on transportation tax and fee increases from November to May. Lawmakers in the Oregon House on Thursday agreed to push Senate Bill 1599 to Monday for consideration, despite it […]
Democratic lawmakers didn’t meet a recommended Wednesday deadline to pass a law rescheduling a gas tax referendum to May, but they’re still moving forward with the effort despite warnings from the state’s top election official that doing so could limit voter input. Senate Bill 1599, which passed the Oregon Senate on Monday, would move the […]
Oregon lawmakers forced by the threat of a citizen-led ballot measure to adopt a sweeping law limiting campaign contributions in 2024 are once again trying to delay key portions of the law before it takes effect. Lawmakers on the House Rules Committee heard public testimony Tuesday morning on an 84-page amendment to House Bill 4018, […]
Oregon’s beleaguered Department of Transportation, education funding for local school districts, the Oregon State Capitol’s seismic rehabilitation project and parole for youth involved in the juvenile justice system are among the state agencies and programs slated for audits in the next year. Secretary of State Tobias Read on Thursday announced his audit plan for the […]
