Walker Releases Printed Version of Counting for Oregon Plan

First Candidate in Secretary of State's race to release detailed plan.

Salem-State Senator Vicki Walker

(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem-State Senator Vicki Walker released a 16-page booklet today detailing her goals for the Secretary of State's office at a mid-afternoon press conference.

Walker (D-Eugene) was joined by supporters including former Salem-area legislator Catherine Webber, who praised Walker's willingness to "give the electorate substance over sound bites that are critical to increase the public's trust in government."

"How you campaign is a reflection of how you will govern," Walker said. "Some would say I'm taking a risk by giving voters detailed information about my plans for the Secretary of State's office, but after nearly a decade of fighting for more accountability and transparency in the legislature, I'm not about to change my stripes now just to play it safe."

Walker named the plan Counting for Oregon because of her long record fighting to make everyone-no matter the size of their pocketbook or political party-feel as if their voice counted.

"My mom raised four of us by herself in Reedsport. She worked two jobs to give us opportunities in life, but more importantly, she taught us that everyone is important and that we have a duty to speak up. Too often, families like the one I grew up in feel as if their power has been diminished by powerful special interests. They need a champion in the Secretary of State's office who will count their votes and their tax dollars correctly because in our democracy that's how we make our voices heard."

Walker's plan to make every Oregonian count includes:

* Expanding voter registration to younger and traditionally disenfranchised communities

* Rotating the Presidential primary system so Oregon isn't always at the back of the line * Preventing ballot measure fraud by preventing those who have unpaid fines or repeat election law violations from filing new ballot measures * Publishing the five largest donors to every ballot measure campaign in the voters' pamphlet * Getting better value from corporate tax subsidies and using the Committee on Performance Excellence to enhance state agency management * Utilizing Oregon's public trust lands to develop clean energy sources that create jobs in rural areas.

"In a year when we are seeing political barriers fall, I think voters are hungry for candidates who will challenge the status quo and who have ideas that include them in the process rather than exclude them from it. In fact, you could say 'I'm counting on it,'" Walker concluded.