I'm Marty Kuhrt and I'm running for Clerk in Coos County in the May 2026 Primary.

Background

I graduated Bandon High School in 1979. For 40 years after that I traveled the World writing software, installing resilient systems, managing data centers and technical support staff. I've also owned and operated restaurants, a radio station, an airplane leaseback business, and did technical consulting for startup tech businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 2019 I bought a home in Bandon to retire. I never intended on getting into politics, I was a NAV (Non Affiliated Voter) for most of my voting life. Then friends asked for my computer expertise to look at some election data.

The Problems

What I found was confusing. There was a lack of transparency and cooperation when trying to validate election results. There were exorbitant fees for simple file requests. When the fees were paid, they "redacted" information to "protect privacy". This made finding definitive results impossible.

These roadblocks and lack of transparency do not instill confidence.

Another issue that needs to be considered is voter rolls. The local officials update the rolls based on local information. They do a great job with the local data.

The problem is the voter rolls are updated at the state level by the SOS, DMV, OHA, and others. The rolls are also updated at a national level by ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center). None of these entities allow reasonable audits to check their accuracy.

The two things that can be improved at the County level are...

1. Election Data Transparency
2. Clean Voter Rolls

Proposed Solutions

Conclusion

These are issues that can be solved at the Clerk level, and that is why I am running.

There are other issues involved, but most of those are beyond the control of the County Clerk.

For more information about other changes that could be made at the State or Federal level, check out Save Oregon Act.