As a member of the State Land Board, how will you balance the needs for economic development and growth while preserving Oregon’s natural resources in a responsible manner? How will you prioritize stakeholder involvement and input with important decisions before the Board?
We start with risk management, that being forest management. Fires are a natural event, in forest renewal, with homes and towns, most recently Detroit Lake we can see the importance of proper forest management implementing practices of stewardship and use forests to meet specific environmental, and economic objectives.
Do you have other ideas for what types of family wage supporting jobs could be supported through the State Land Board’s jurisdiction and process?
Repatriation of industries that have been outsourced over the years. These outsourced industries to adversarial Communist China, and others, have fleeced economic growth and family wage jobs.
You could be running on the ballot with a ballot measure proposal that would create an independent commission on redistricting. This commission model does not have diversity requirements, limits those that can participate by excluding many new citizens and young people, and there are limited ways to hold potential commissioners accountable. Do you support the current method or how would you change the process?
Redistricting, and or gerrymandering should be based on 3 simple concepts – is it practical, logical, and logistical to count ballots with high integrity? Regardless of political ramifications in the search for winners and losers, we can see the outcome of one redistricting decision that was made for purely political reasons. District 5 stretches from Eugene to Portland, to Bend, including Linn County, most of Clackamas and Deschutes counties, and parts of Multnomah and Marion counties. This district wraps across the cascade mountains, making physical collection near impossible, and includes the 3 highest population cities. It is not practical, logistical to count ballots, or efficient. It is a purely political road map to retain and provide argument for mail in ballots, and often questionable vote calculation.
Would you be willing to support union members on strike lines or at pickets, by making phone calls to managers and company owners to support union members during contract negotiations, or to support workers who are trying to form a union? Under what conditions would you, or would you not, be comfortable being called on in this way?
The labor union is critical to fair and equitable employment. If employees disrupt production, corporate culture, to form a union, the employer has the right to listen or terminate those employees. If the employer can no longer produce his or her goods or service because the cost of doing business exceeds net profits, the employer may be forced to close a business and the jobs are gone. Labor must work with management to achieve a delicate balance between work culture, production, and healthy work environment.
Do you support workers’ right to form a union free from influence from their employer?
Yes, just as the employer has the right terminate employees that become disruptive.
What is your vision for continuing to make sure that all Oregonians – regardless of language, education, job or voting experience – have access to the ballot?
The voter should take time to educate themselves on the policies, candidates, and how they affect them and or their neighbors. All legal citizens should have access to a ballot. We must ensure that someone else’s vote is not displaced by invalid votes – this is an equally critical test.
Oregon was the first state in the nation to create automatic voter registration. Through automatic registration thousands of Oregonians have been added to the state’s voter rolls. How will you continue to expand and make better the automatic voter registration program?
Automatic citizen voter registration is important to fair and honest elections; however, the of age voter must be a citizen of the United States, and an Oregon Resident. Deceased, duplicate, harvested, illegal ballots all must be audited, stored, always observed by both major political parties.
Do you think our current laws safeguard our elections process or do we need more rules around voter registration and ballot access?
What would you do to prevent these types of deceptive, anti-immigrant attacks in Oregon?
In person voter voting, with valid identification; making the delivery of multiple ballots by one person void.
As a member of the State Land Board, how will you balance the needs for economic development and growth while preserving Oregon’s natural resources in a responsible manner? How will you prioritize stakeholder involvement and input with important decisions before the Board?
Speaking to stakeholders involved, ensure stewardship, respect for private property, community impact are all considered. Littering laws, defacing public property laws, and water way dumping laws must be enforced. These are all important development, land use, forest management, or risk and safety issues.
Do you have other ideas for what types of family wage supporting jobs could be supported through the State Land Board’s jurisdiction and process?
Yes, empower manufacturing, promote general commercial in areas that need employment and provide tax incentives equally to new in state and out-of-state business that promises to uphold environmental impact laws.
You could be running on the ballot with a ballot measure proposal that would create an independent commission on redistricting. This commission model does not have diversity requirements, limits those that can participate by excluding many new citizens and young people, and there are limited ways to hold potential commissioners accountable. Do you support the current method or how would you change the process?
Independent commission on redistricting. This commission model does not have diversity requirements, Divisive policies in general are political. We are Americans – united we stand divided we fall.
As SOS how would you manage the signature verification team? Are there any changes you would make to their processes or the ability for the public to observe the verification process?
In person voting with an ID clearly is the best verification process. Creating new systems, to then manage new problems to find new solutions, with many hands, many eyes, only offer new opportunities for corruption.
Will you use the Secretary of State’s current authority to investigate signature gathering violations and work to defend that authority as a vitally important function within the office?
Absolutely
How would you repair trust with the public and the Secretary of State's Office as you take office? Name specific steps you would take.
Advocate for in person voting with identification Measures, until then, enforce the rules currently in place to always ensure two party observers, secure storage, and vetted tabulation. Time (days to weeks), ballot transfers, and poor security is clearly the easiest way to disenfranchise the individual voter.
Recently the Secretary of State has rejected ballot measures based on their own opinion that those measures are unconstitutional. This is a new development, and it is being challenged in Court. What do you think the Secretary of State’s role is in vetting ballot measures for constitutionality?
Follow the rules that the legislature provides. Constitutionality of those rules are for the Justice Department to decide.
What is your perspective on campaign finance reform? And how would you take this difference between unions and corporations into account in any discussion of campaign finance reform and the ways that union members engage in elections?
There must be limits on individual donations to any single candidate or measure. The corporate donations should be proportionate to their members or employees. Candidates receiving millions for a small public service stipend feeds influence and corruption at the highest level (as an example, the position pays $80,000 a year, but the candidate has raised 3 million as a candidate - no business could survive with an income statement like this). Currently, one individual may donate any amount of money to one candidate – buying influence once elected. Candidates are servants of the people for all the people.
There will likely be at least one campaign finance measure on the ballot in 2024. What values would you carry into any rulemaking and enforcement mechanisms of a ballot measure that passes?
Follow the rules of the legislature, and or in this case the people decided upon. See above.
What do you believe is the most important role of the Audits Division? How would you direct this Division in its duties?
Fair and equal protections – ensure all facts are trusted but verified, and authenticated with observers, anomalies trigger instant audits. For example, one candidate receives 90-100% of the votes in a region. Regardless of party this should trigger an automatic audit.
How will you ensure that front-line workers are engaged in the functions of the Audits Division to have a fuller picture of how to solve problems facing public institutions?
Public forums, volunteers, vetting and swearing in of those individuals; this significant responsibility must be met with stiff penalties when the public’s trust has been betrayed.
What will you do to ensure that the work of the Audits Division remains neutral, informed by expertise and sensitive to the cost and political impacts of performance audits on subject entities?
Enforce all rules equally, work to simplify the process, background checks, video, technology where needed to authenticate, and other reliable means of ensuring performance.
With the Corporate Division under the purview of the Secretary of State’s office, what role do you see for this office with respect to corporate filings and disclosures?
The Supreme Court has concluded that corporations are “persons” within the meaning of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Corporations must make their customers, investors, and analysts aware of pertinent information. The Secretary of State must review corporations that are delinquent or fraudulent to these values.
In light of the Colorado Supreme Court decision citing the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as Oregon Secretary of State would you allow Donald Trump's name to appear on the ballot in Oregon?
There is merit for the 14th Amendment, Section III. This is a Constitutional matter, not a state matter, pertaining to Federal elections. The process of appeals takes time. Until then, We the People will decide on the ballot. The Constitution is a beautiful document that demands deep research into the founder’s true intent. In this case, only Congress can remove a final Supreme Court decision to remove a candidate, by 2/3 votes in both Houses. Regardless of affiliations, we all want these protections for public servants. The Oregon Secretary of State follows the rules provided by State Legislature.
OREGON MEASURE SURVEY
Please provide one or more Oregon Measures that are of most importance to the state of Oregon. Brent Barker for Oregon is conducting a survey to determine what Measure to sponsor. We have provided 10 Oregon Measure Sponsorships to be considered.
Confidentially email your top considerations to:
1. Repeal Corporate Activity Tax
2. Enforce Minimum High School Graduation Reading, Writing, and Math Competencies
3. Enforce Vagrancy Laws and apply fines and penalties to rural and urban camping
4. Tax abatement to all new corporate activity for first 5 years
5. Enforcement and Penalties for graffiti and littering
6. Life skills training competency for high school graduates (banking, budget, rent, resume, work ethic)
7. In-Person Voting with Voter Identification Requirement
8. Pledge of Allegiance in all public schools
9. Parental approval of all K-12 curriculum
10. Clean Elections ACT - limits to state donations, and term limits
Brent Barker for Oregon - PO BOX 608 Beaverton Oregon 97075-0608 - 503-308-0722
"Paid for by Brent Barker for Oregon, #21995."