Secretary of State Tobias Reed tells Rules Committee audits, voter systems and records modernization are priorities

Secretary of State Tobias Reed told the Oregon Senate Committee on Rules on Feb. 24 that his office will prioritize integrity, accountability and competence across elections, audits, archives and business services as it works to modernize information systems and build a risk-based audit program.

Reed said the Secretary of State’s office sits “at the center of a lot of ways that Oregonians interact with state government,” citing elections, business filings, archives and audits as functions that require reliable IT and consistent service. “We are going to operate with integrity, with accountability and with competence,” he told the committee.

The nut of Reed’s presentation was that his office will focus on stabilizing technology and making audits more useful to decision makers. Reed said the Oregon Registered Voter Information System (ORBIS), recent campaign finance changes from House Bill 4024, the Automatic Voter Registration system and other high-visibility programs are “information technology challenges” that need consistent policy and durable systems. He said modernization work in corporate…