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 records and archives — including migration off microfiche and preservation of audio tapes suffering “vinegar syndrome” — is under way.

Reed described work underway in the office’s divisions: Stephanie Clark leads the Archives Division, which maintains the Oregon Administrative Rules database and the Blue Book; Steve Bergman leads Audits, which is developing a risk-based methodology for future audit plans; Eloisa Yarbrough runs the Corporations Division, which is consolidating multiple legacy IT systems; and Dina Dawson was introduced as the elections director, working with county clerks statewide.

“We want audit plans to be based on risk,” Reed said, adding the office will seek to select audit targets where the potential for misallocation of funds, repeated poor performance or threats to people’s safety is greatest. Reed told the committee his staff is beginning discussions with legislative audit stakeholders to develop transparent indicators that explain why programs are selected for review.

Deputy Secretary of State Michael Kaplan told senators the office plans to make the risk methodology and the reasons for audit selection public so the legislature and the public can see why the office chooses specific audits. “If we get off on the right foot in terms of what we are looking at, what we are scrutinizing, then when those audits come back in front of you, the public expects them,” Kaplan said.

Committee members asked how Reed’s office will use the audit plan it inherited and how future plans will change. Reed said the current biennial audit plan for 2025–26 will “play out” while the office builds its own methodology for subsequent plans. He emphasized audits are not an end in themselves: “The best audit in the world is not worth much if it’s sitting on the shelf,” he said, urging legislative follow-up on audit recommendations.

Reed also listed senior staff present: Chief of Staff Dimitri Palmater; Deputy Chiefs of Staff Tess Seager and Ricardo Lujan Valerio (communications and government relations); Mary Scribe, director of strategic initiatives; Michael Williams, business services director; Tasha Peterson, HR director; and Chris Mullins, information services director.

Why it matters: the Secretary of State’s office administers elections, business registration, public records and audits — services that shape public confidence in state government and depend heavily on stable IT and consistent procedures. Reed told the committee his team will be responsive to legislators’ concerns and invited continued engagement on audit priorities and system modernization.

What the committee asked and the office answered: senators pressed Reed on timing, transparency and indicators for the new audit methodology. Reed said the current audit plan was released recently by the previous administration, that audit work is time-consuming and deliberate, and that the office intends to collaborate with legislative auditors and lawmakers to build an objective, depoliticized set of indicators for future audit choices.

Ending: Reed closed by asking lawmakers to contact staff with questions, and Deputy Secretary Michael Kaplan repeated the office’s pledge to write audits in plain language with clear, actionable findings. The informational hearing closed before the committee moved to work-session business.