WLD414 by C.M.I.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2026

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Serving Oregon’s South Coast Since 1878

Oregon’s Secretary of State visits the South Coast ahead of May primaries by May 19. The safest way to ensure that happens is to take your envelope to the Post Office and request it be postmarked then and there. Also, verifying your signature, most commonly against the one on your driver’s license, is important for preventing any irregularities with your ballot. Read went on to take questions from the audience on combating misinformation, reaching young voters, and how to best support our county clerks. Those answers included a sobering story of a county clerk who was relieved to have bulletproof glass installed in the elections office. One recited fact that was pertinent: despite economic struggles, famine, pandemic, and war in the United States of America, never in its history has a primary or general election been canceled. “Democracy has never been easy. We wouldn’t have had to fight for it, we wouldn’t have marched for it, we wouldn’t have amended our constitution, time and time again, to bring more people into the promise of our country. Every generation inherits this fragile, remarkable thing. And every generation decides if it will be strengthened or diminished on their watch. “I think this is our moment. It’s not that democracy is failing, it’s being tested. It’s being tested by fear, by cynicism, and by powerful interests that want to weaken faith in our institutions and our obligation to follow the will of the people. But our democracy does not belong to the loudest voice, or the wealthiest person, or the most powerful office. It belongs to people who show up, who tell the truth, and refuse to give in to apathy and despair… Don’t underestimate your power,” closed Read.

BY NATE SCHWARTZ

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read spoke to a room full of engaged voters on March 8, 2026, at the Sprague Community Theatre in Bandon. The event, which brought the Oregon executive branch’s second-in-command to town, was hosted by the Coos and Curry Chapters of the League of Women Voters. Read spoke extensively about the importance of civic engagement, voter participation, and ongoing efforts to prevent election interference. In the current political climate, there has been an intentionally sewn sense of mistrust in our election apparatus. There have been repeated attempts from the Trump administration to abolish vote-by-mail. Oregon has been a pioneer of universal vote-bymail for decades; the practice was expanded to include primary and general elections by a vote of the people in 1998. “Democracy is not self-sustaining; it depends on participation. That’s why voting by mail is not simply a convenience, it is also a safeguard,” said Read from the stage of the Sprague. “Oregon is the gold standard when it comes to running safe, accurate and fair elections. Voting by mail makes sure that every eligible voter can participate, amidst busy and complicated lives.” The practice has seen Oregon leading the pack in terms of voter participation. In primary elections since 2000, Oregon has had an average voter participation of 46.25 percent compared to the national average of 18 percent. Read credits a huge part of that level of participation to vote-by-mail. “It removes barriers that we see too often in other places, like voter intimidation and long lines. It gives all of us, as voters, the

time to be thoughtful. To make smart decisions and informed choices. You can sit on your couch in your pajamas and vote, that’s a nice thing,” said Read. Vote-by-mail also has many built-in security measures that protect the integrity of elections. Each ballot has an individual barcode, allowing election authorities to track them easily. Our county clerks independently verify each signature against multiple records. Everything is on paper ballots, and the machines used to count them are never connected to the internet, and independent inspectors test them before and after each election. The president himself voted by mail from DC for his residence in Florida. Despite that, Trump has issued two executive orders that have attempted to gut vote-by-mail: the ﬁrst was shot down in a legal challenge led by multiple states

(including Oregon), and the second is currently on the Supreme Court’s docket. The writing of Article 1, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution is cut and dry on the matter. “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof,” states our foundational document. Read went on to praise the work of county clerks across the state, calling them the backbone of our democracy and urging us all to support the work they do. Clerks, who administer, count, and verify our elections at the local level, have seen a rise in threats and harassment amid heightened suspicion and misinformation. “Social media is ﬂooded with misinformation. Lies about how votes are counted, who’s registered, who’s eligible. These

public officials are being vilified for following the law and doing their job, and we can’t have that,” said Read. “Elections offices across Oregon have been threatened. Ballot boxes have been vandalized. We’ve had staff harassed online and in person, and yet they keep showing up. They keep doing the work, maintaining the rolls, counting the ballots. That is service, that is protection of democracy.” Read wrapped up with a couple of public service announcements. With cuts to the U.S. Postal Service, it’s been encouraged that voters drop their ballots off themselves at any of the valid drop boxes around the county. A list of locations is available on the county website. If you need to use the mail, be sure to have your ballot sent at least one week before election day. If you can’t manage that, the ballot must be postmarked

County Commissioner Race 2026: An Interview with Rick Osborn

An Interview with Richard Coleman

BY NATE SCHWARTZ

Richard Coleman is one of two candidates running for the County Board of Commissioners Position 3, as Commissioner Rod Taylor has chosen not to run for reelection. Coleman was a diesel mechanic in the Army, and currently works as a shop manager with Johnson’s Rock Products, a local contractor. I sat down with Coleman for a conversation on his priorities for the county and views on the role of government in smaller communities. Our 15-minute conversation has been trimmed for readability.

On his background and qualifications: “I’m a third-generation county resident. My parents’ family came here in

the late-40s, early-50s, so we’ve lived here for quite a while. I graduated from North Bend High School in ’86, shortly thereafter joined the Army which took me out of the area for a while. I came back to the area in 2012, so I was gone about 25 years, but I came back. This has always been home to me. My plan was to retire here when I reached that age, but I got an opportunity to come back before that. “I’ve got an associate’s degree in diesel mechanics, did my schooling at Lane Community College. I bring my military experience. I was a squad leader and team chief in the shop; I was a mechanic in the Army as well. I understand teamwork, I understand delegation, I understand making tough decisions when you need to. “My current job, I’m the shop manager at Johnson Rock, so I understand about money, how to spend money, and where to spend money, when not to spend money. I try to spend as local as possible. Unfortunate side is, with what we do and have to maintain, I do have to outsource, but I’m pretty big on supporting the local economy everywhere I can.”

On his personal political views and the role of local government: See COMMISSIONER RACE-COLEMAN Continued on Page 12

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BY NATE SCHWARTZ

Vying for the Board of County Commissioners Position 3 is Rick Osborn. Osborn brings a long career’s worth of experience working in and around county and state government to the race. Since moving back to Coos County following stints with Benton County and in Salem, he has operated his own businesses and sat on multiple budget committees, as well as ranking positions with the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and South Coast Development Council. I sat down with him to discuss how his experience led him to run, his priorities for the role, and using economic development to shore up county ﬁnances. Here’s a trimmed version of our nearly 20-minute conversation.

On his background and qualifications:

“I was born and raised here. I was born in Bay Area Hospital, I graduated from Marshfield High School, went to Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC) for a couple of years, then left to go to college. I came back and worked as a newspaper reporter here at the World newspaper covering Coos County, and then was communications director at SWOCC. I followed a career and family obligations to the Willamette Valley living in Corvallis for about ten years. During that time, I worked as the public information officer for Benton County. I worked for about six years in the Benton County Board of Commissioners office. My office was situated in the middle of the three of them, so I got a

ﬁrsthand view of what commissioners do, what their days can look like, the kinds of decisions they make and how those affect the community. I worked with every department in the county, so I got a good look at public health, planning and community development, parks, roads and law enforcement… I was doing all the communications. “Then I went to work in the in the state Senate, where I was a communications director. During that time, I developed a lot of contacts in the legislative and executive branch, and in the lobby. So, I feel like I have a good understanding of how that process works, which is important for a county commissioner. There’s a lot of areas where we need to be able to leverage our relationships at the state level to do things that are good for our county. See COMMISSIONER RACE-OSBORN Continued on Page 12

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