“Forward my request to your public records officer, and have it processed as received on October 31, 2026.”
He answers the agency’s letter of November 1, 2026, and writes, “Forward my request to your public records officer, and have it processed as received on October 31, 2026.”
To Whom It Concerns:
On November 1, 2026, you wrote: “To avoid delays, please submit your records request through our public records request center.”1 You were answering my written request of October 31, 2026.2 The Attorney General’s manual says: “A public body’s legal obligation to respond to a public records request is triggered by receipt of a written request.”3 Your agency has received mine.
The law requires every public body to publish the name of one or more people to whom a request may be sent, with addresses [ORS 192.324(7)(a)]. I searched your portal for a paper form and for the name and address of your public records officer, and I found neither, so I sent my request to an address your agency publishes. The Secretary of State keeps the State’s records and sets the rules every agency follows for keeping them. Your office should do better.
Forward my request to your public records officer, and have it processed as received on October 31, 2026. Follow the statute [ORS 192.324(1)].
Thank you for your contribution to the record.
