Secretary of State

DEVNER - Is it going to be better than 2004? "Yes it is," said Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner while addressing the Ohio delegation this morning at the Democratic National Convention.

Brunner concerned her speech with a brief history of women's suffrage, and promised that the 2008 election would not have the problems seen in Ohio during 2004.

Brunner touted early voting, which she said would be available in Ohio 30 days before the election, by mail or in person.

Brunner also said she believed that the turnout in Ohio for the election will be near 80 percent.

 "Participation is the greatest measure of the health of Democracy," Brunner said.

She said she wanted to make voters of Ohio confident in the voting system.

"We will do a good job this year," she said. "We will make our people and our country proud."

FOR COMPLETE CONVENTION COVERAGE from PolitickerOH.com, click here. 

The Oregon Independent Party announced Wednesday that it will be nominating Joel Haugen (R-Scappoose) for Congress in Oregon's 1st Congressional District.

The cross-nominations have led to several electoral questions as to how Haugen and other candidates must appear on the ballot. According to the Secretary of State, Haugen's name can only appear on the ballot once. If he does take up the Independent Party nomination, he will have to drop the Republican nomination, thus clearing the way for CD-1 Republicans to nominate a new congressional candidate

The top two lawyers threaten that the litigation isn’t over; while the state is moving forward with the top-two primary as planned. If this keeps up, only the top two voters will actually turn out.

The deadline for turning in signatures to place an initiative on the November ballot is July 3, and three big campaigns are gearing up to take their “oughta be a law” ideas directly to the people.

There is much speculation about down-ballot voting and how it will wash. But what is the effect on down-ballot races when the presidential race itself isn't at the top?

Concord--State Sen. Joe Kenney (R-Wakefield) officially filed for governor with the Secretary of State today.

CONCORD  — Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) officially filed to be U.S. Senate candidate today.

Shaheen was greeted by several hundred enthusiastic supporters who lined the State House halls wearing green and white t-shirts and held banners. It was a scene more reminiscent of a presidential candidate filing for office than that of a U.S. Senate candidate. The hall leading to the Secretary of State’s office roared with chants as she walked down the corridor

Jason Osgood, the only democrat to earn accolades from the right-wing bloggers at Sound Politics, is making an unusual run to the right of Republican incumbent Secretary of State Sam Reed.

The Seattle Times' David Postman is reporting that Jason Osgood, a 40 year old computer programmer and prominent blogger from Seattle, will file as a Democrat for Secretary of State. Osgood, who has never run for office before, gained some press last year when he helped stop King County from spending a third of a million dollars on an ill-conceived ballot tracking program.

Postman goes further into Osgood's opposition to ballot tracking, Secretary of State Sam Reed's standing in the election reform crowd in his article, found here.

The field of candidates looking to secure the Democratic nomination for secretary of state has narrowed to two frontrunners, according to a poll commissioned by the Portland Tribune and FOX News 12.