Oregon Public Broadcasting

How much does it matter to you that the Attorney General or Secretary of State is a Republican or Democrat?  Some Oregon lawmakers think it shouldn’t matter at all.  Salem correspondent Chris Lehman explains.

There’s a proposal to remove party affiliation from three of Oregon’s top elected offices -- Treasurer, Secretary of State and Attorney General.

Supporters of the plan say those offices are administrative and don’t create policy.

They say taking party affiliation out of the equation would create a more streamlined election process.

Senator Bruce Starr says there’s nothing new about electing people on a non-partisan basis.

Bruce Starr:  “Virtually every local elected official falls into the exact same category.  I was elected to the Hillsboro City Council not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, not as something else, but as Bruce Starr.”

Now Starr is a Republican. His proposal isn’t getting much traction with the panel of lawmakers considering the bill.

Maybe it’s because the chair is one of four state senators running for Secretary of State—all of them Democrats.

Online:

Oregon Senate Bill 1096