I remember that two years ago Jamie McLeod Skinner ran for Congress in Oregon's 2nd Congressional District (that's the one encompassing eastern and southern Oregon). For this election she's running for Secretary of State. Here is her webpage, where you can find pictures and bio.

My questions are in boldface; McLeod Skinner's are not.

1. What does the Secretary of State do, and why do you think that you'd be an especially good person for that role?

It is the job of the Secretary of State to make democracy work, to identify the things that aren’t working, and to be transparent about the results.

I’m running to be Oregon’s next Secretary of State - to protect our democracy, ensure accountable government, safeguard our natural resources, and help rebuild our economy after this pandemic. I’m a natural resource attorney, an elected board member of the Jefferson County Education Service District and was appointed by our Governor to serve all Oregonians on the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.

I’m a good match for the role because I’ve got the right experience and values for the job. I understand how organizations work and can be improved from my policy making and executive management experience in the nonprofit and public sectors. I’ve been elected to public office in both rural and urban areas - including in a diverse city larger than a state senate district. I have successfully engaged underrepresented communities in the election process, improved organizational effectiveness of nonprofit and government agencies, built stronger and more resilient communities, and developed sustainable land use and environmental policies.

I’m proud of my reputation as a fair, inclusive, ethical bridge builder who makes progressive values work for all Oregonians.

2. How can your policy proposals (as a prospective Secretary of State) benefit working people? Be brief and choose two policies you think will especially answer this question.

As working people, we benefit from our voices being heard and government being accountable to us. Our voices are heard when we improve overall election turnout and we decrease the discrepancies in turnout between different voter demographics, especially younger voters and communities of color. The lower voter turnout has resulted in limited accountability to those that most need the government to do its job. Through information, outreach, and community partnerships we can better address and remove the barriers to voting.

Audits provide a roadmap for good governance, ensure equitable expenditures, transparency in how our public dollars are spent, reduce outsourcing to the politically powerful, and protect the health and safety of our kids and working families by daylighting issues. The audit process is a powerful tool to improve social justice for all working families. As Secretary of State, I’d use this tool for financial, performance, equity, sustainability, safety, and information security audits.

Ensuring that our elections cannot be bought provides accountability for working families. Oregon is one of only a handful of states without statewide campaign contribution limits - we need to change that. All candidates talk about campaign finance reform, but I am the only one in my race who’s never taken a corporate dime, dating back to when I was first elected in 2004; this includes no fossil fuel money or pharmaceutical money, which is important given the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic on the lives of so many Oregonians.

We’ve recently seen how the decisions of a Secretary of State will be questioned based on the previous campaign contributions she received as a legislator. My decisions won’t. Democracy cannot survive when elections can be bought. The decisions of our Secretary of State cannot be compromised by concerns of outside influence. That’s why your vote is so important.

3. How can the office of Secretary of State be used to empower the public?

The Secretary of State can empower the public by helping our voices be heard through our vote, auditing state agencies to ensure the government is accountable to all Oregonians, by building our small business sector, and by engaging more people in government decision-making. Too many Oregonians are feeling unheard.

Our voices are heard through election security and integrity. To help secure our elections, I would hire an elections officer to think like a hacker to find weaknesses in our system and develop strong programs to combat disinformation. Elections integrity means making sure that everyone who wants to vote can, allowing counties to experiment with ranked choice and STAR voting to determine voter intent, making sure people have the tools they need to vote, and engaging in outreach to non-English speakers, migrant workers, and the houseless to make sure they can participate in our process. When people know their vote will be secure and counted, they will engage with the process to make their communities more reflective of their needs.

To build public trust, the government must be accountable to all Oregonians, not just those who already have a seat at the table. This means using an equity lens to consider who is being served and who has been overlooked. In the past month, I’ve been hosting public livestreams with Oregonians across our state - in urban and rural areas - who explore where the government is falling short for underserved communities and how we can do better (available on Facebook and YouTube) .

4. Characterize your opposition.

My two primary opponents are currently state senators from the Portland Metro area. While they have traveled or lived outside of the Metro area, I’m the only one with a statewide perspective, statewide support, who has worked in both urban and rural areas. Through traveling 60,000 miles across our state, I’ve developed statewide connections and relationships, engaged thousands of voters, and gained a deep knowledge of Oregon and the issues that matter to Oregonians. I have a track record of bringing people together to find solutions to our common challenges without compromising my progressive values.

My colleagues are to be applauded for their impassioned work in the Legislature; however, that passion has been hamstrung by an inability to work with their colleagues and the fractured politics has resulted in two consecutive walkouts, failure on important legislation, and the embarrassment of national headlines on the walkouts. One of the greatest challenges we’re now facing is moving beyond the vitriol in the Capitol and bridging the divides between us.

While my colleagues have won their Metro seats with 30,000-44,000 votes in the Metro area, I have won over 145,000 votes in the toughest part of Oregon for a Democrat to win votes. In 2018, I outperformed our re-elected Governor by 4% in the 2nd congressional district; and outperformed the 2016 Democratic nominee for Secretary of State, who lost the general election, by 26% in that district. I am the only candidate who no one doubts can win the general election because I have already proven myself. Democrats cannot repeat the mistake of 2016 by choosing a nominee who cannot bridge the urban-rural divide and win votes statewide.

My qualifications are unmatched, I know how to get the job done, and I want to build a better Oregon.

5. What would the world look like if it could be like you want it to be?

We would have clean air to breathe and water to drink. Everyone would be treated fairly, with respect, and have a level playing field. Tribal communities would experience our appreciation from being able to live on their ceded lands, People of Color would not have to fear unjust systems, LGBTQIA kids would be proud of who they are, the folks who pick our crops and teach our kids and clean our buildings would be able to feed their families and retire with dignity, and Black men would be seen as community leaders and not be shot for going out for a jog or wearing a hoodie. We would all have our own opinions and be able to work together on things that mattered.

6. How can we get that world?

When I was a child, my mom told me to leave a place better than I found it, and so that is the work I have tried to do my entire life, from repairing schools in postwar settings to resettling refugees, to helping people access their right to vote, to making the government more accountable. I began my public service based on my mom’s advice but have stayed because I am inspired by those committed to building healthier communities and functional democracy.

We get the world that I described above by empowering people to elect leaders who can effectively work with others without compromising their values. Not by shouting, but by building the relationships necessary to get the job done. We need leaders committed to working toward environmental, social, and economic justice and getting money out of politics. We need leaders who walk the walk, not just talk about these ideas. I am proud to be the only candidate with that track record on campaign finance and willing to take a stand on issues harmful to our environment, such as publicly opposing the Jordan Cove project.

The times we are in require a new kind of leadership; we need leaders who can adapt, are responsive to people’s needs, and will continue to find ways to expand access to and participation in our government to ensure that it really is a government for the people and by the people. That is the work I have always done, and the work I am committed to doing.