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Marshall promotes free public records
By Rose Hooper
Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said that although she came into an office “mired in the process of the 1970s,” her office has since “leaped forward with technology” to benefit its citizens.
After taking office in 1997, Marshall undertook a complete overhaul of the department’s electronic data and within a few years, had transformed the department into an agency with cutting-edge technology.
Several other states are now using her Secretary of State Knowledge Base system, a model that has won Marshall numerous national awards.
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, right, spoke with Kelly Timco, center, of Webster and Luis Fernando of Sylva during an Aug. 19 campaign swing through Jackson County. Marshall, a Democrat, will face Republican Jay Rao in the November election. – Herald photo by Rose Hooper
Government Technology magazine named Marshall one of its top government information technology officials in the country.
Campaigning in Sylva Aug. 19, Marshall said one of the issues that really concerns her is free access to public records.
“The public has already paid for these records in the first place; they certainly shouldn’t have to pay for them again,” said Marshall, who faces Republican Jay Rao of Charlotte in the November election.
Marshall initiated online filing for customers “to eliminate any geographic penalties,” she said. “Along with free public records, we should have online access.
“We need to break down any barriers, including cost, of having to go to Raleigh to do business,” said Marshall.
Eighty percent of North Carolina businesses are small businesses, she said, adding, “We need to nurture that.”
Marshall said she also feels strongly about standing up to special interests by working to reform lobbying laws.
“As a lawyer, I stood up for people without a voice,” said Marshall, who earned her law degree from Campbell University in 1981.
“As a citizen, I went to the General Assembly and took on the insurance industry to get coverage for mammograms and pap smears. As a member of the N.C. Senate, I got needed health care services, especially for our state’s rural areas.
“And, as Secretary of State, I have made protecting consumers and creating jobs my top priorities.”
Marshall, who has been a small business owner as well as a practicing attorney, focuses a lot of her energy on defending investors and charitable givers against scam artists.
Contact information for individual charities, their fund-raisers, as well as what percentage of money raised actually went to the charitable purpose, are posted on the department’s Web site.
“I tell people to give money where they can see the good work in their community,” she said.
As she travels across the state, Marshall said it is satisfying to hear people talk about the ease and convenience of accessing the SOSNC Web site.
“It’s our way of serving the public 24/7,” she said.
For more information, visit www.sosnc.com.
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