Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott was selected to serve as president of the Oregon Association of County Clerks (OACC) on Aug. 17.
Its membership — which includes both appointed and elected clerks, recorders and election officials from each of Oregon’s 36 counties — is the foremost association providing leadership, education, legislative expertise and civic engagement pertaining to the administration of elections and related duties throughout the state.
After serving as OACC’s secretary, treasurer, and vice president, Scott was nominated by a leadership selection committee and unanimously voted to serve as president by 36 voting members.
The role of OACC president is one of critical importance, and in this role, Scott will be responsible for organizing association events, and advancing the security, accessibility, transparency and integrity of Oregon’s Vote by Mail Elections.
This work has been Scott’s focus for the past 14 years serving as the election director for Oregon’s most populous county — with more than 560,000 registered voters — since 2008. He has led the Multnomah County Elections Division through 16 federal elections and 18 special elections.
His career in elections spans 20 years, starting as an intern for the City of Fairfax, Virginia, Registrar’s Office, processing voter registration cards and stocking precinct bags for Election Day.
He also spent two years working as a project manager for a voting machine vendor, during which he gained valuable insight into the federal voting system certification process.
Applying for the job in Multnomah County was an opportunity to come back home where he grew up and “do what I love doing — election administration,” he said.
Scott helped guide the County through the implementation of online voter registration, interstate data matching, and Oregon Motor Voter, the first-in-the-country automatic voter registration process.
He has also overseen the implementation of innovative technology solutions to improve efficiency and increase voters’ confidence in election processes through total transparency in the handling and counting of ballots.
In 2015, Scott worked with County leadership to secure and maintain funding for a growing Voter Education and Outreach program, which strives to remove barriers and make the registration and voting process inclusive and equitable for all voters.
As the president of OACC, Scott will continue to provide leadership on a variety of subjects, including efforts to dispel election misinformation, disinformation and mal-information. He will continue to provide legislative testimony as a subject-matter expert on elections.
“This being a federal election year, we’re working closely with the Secretary of State’s Office to ensure that counties have clear guidance on rule-making and standards for midterm elections,” said Scott.
“We are also looking at ways that the association can support county clerks under the deluge of public records requests that are happening in every Oregon county, and looking to put together a committee to support that work.”
One of his goals as president is to create an organizational structure that will better serve the association.
“We’re in the process of becoming a nonprofit association,'' Scott said. “We are currently not organized under any legal structure, and it inhibits our ability to do banking and be insured. There are several logistical tasks that will be made easier by us becoming a defined organization.
“We’ve signed the paperwork and filed it with the Secretary of State’s Office to become a 501(c) organization. That has been my goal since undertaking this leadership role.”
Scott has a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from George Mason University. He is a Certified Election and Registration Administrator through the Election Center and Auburn University, as well as a Certified Elections Administrator through the Oregon Association of County Clerks.
In his personal time, he enjoys running and just completed the 2022 Hood to Coast Relay. He enjoys spending time with his wife, son and pet rabbit, Rebel, who was adopted from Multnomah County Animal Services.
Scott’s tenure as OACC president lasts for one year, but as is the custom for association presidents, he will remain on the executive board through the subsequent year.
"Tim's commitment to ensuring that elections are more inclusive, accessible, transparent and secure for Multnomah County voters has ensured that our voting system is the best in the country," Chair Deborah Kafoury said. "I'm thrilled that his peers recognize his passion and expertise, and I have every confidence that he will serve OACC and its membership successfully."
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