Former Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins today filed an elections complaint against the man who succeeded her as the state’s top elections officer, the current Secretary of State Dennis Richardson. Atkins is a Democrat and Richardson a Republican. The complaint comes in response to a newsletter Richardson published earlier this week, in which he commented on a scathing audit his audits division did of the Oregon Health Authority, which has been under fire for making more than $100 million in erroneous Medicaid payments.
In his newsletter, Richardson, who won election last year, wrote:
“Soon Oregon voters will be considering whether or not to approve tax increases intended to provide additional funding to the OHA. With such abysmal examples of OHA misfeasance and obfuscation, OHA faces tough questions about its credibility and its ability to appropriately spend the money it is provided.”
In her complaint—filed with Richardson’s chief elections officer, Steve Trout—Atkins, who is now the chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Oregon, says that through that communication, Richardson violated a state law that prohibits public employees from using state time or resources to try to influence an election.
Full Article: Former Oregon Secretary of State Files Elections Complaint Against Current Secretary of State Dennis Richardson – Willamette Week.