When four Democrats running for Oregon secretary of state met recently for a candidate forum, the distinctions were similar to the Republican forum for the secretary of state candidates: Not a lot of flashy policy differences.

We weren’t expecting otherwise. We doubt you would, either. But if you are looking to make up your mind about the candidates, it’s worth checking out. Here is our attempt to sum up what they emphasized at the debate.

James Crary is a retired attorney from Ashland who has run previously for Congress. What distinguished him from the other candidates most clearly was his desire to create a kind of electronic candidate forum. He wants a new section of the secretary of state’s website where voters can ask candidates questions. He said any job he has applied for people had to go through an interview. He gave out his phone number and urged Oregonians to call, 541-531-2912. “Call me and I will answer your question,” he said.

James Manning, a state senator from Eugene, emphasized his experience in the U.S. Army, where he was an assistant inspector general and a military diplomat. He expressed reservations about ranked-choice voting, concerned about what it might mean for candidates of color. He did vote to put it on the November ballot and said if voters want it, he would work as secretary of state to set up the system. He suggested using the auditing power of the office to look at hiring of women and minorities by the Oregon Department of Transportation, among other things. Of his candidacy, he said: “I am overqualified. I am result-oriented and I deliver.”

Tobias Read is the current state treasurer and a former legislator. If you value relevant, high level state government experience, he ticks that box. As treasurer, he has already served on the state land board, one of the roles the secretary of state also fills. He has managed a state agency with the responsibility of managing billions of dollars of state money. He promised to protect how easy it is to vote in Oregon and mail-in ballots from those who would roll those privileges back. Read said he would conduct audits to try to make more of the good intentions of legislative policy the actual reality. He has the endorsement of the three secretaries of state that have endorsed in this race.

David Stauffer is a retired attorney and inventor. He stressed his inventions, such as one that focuses the sun’s rays with a lens to heat water. “I am the best person to fulfill this role because I have five practical, workable, affordable, profit-making, politically correct patented inventions that can greatly improve Oregon’s environment,” he said. “One of my inventions can heat your house and air condition your house or building and heat your water so that you can have hot running water all without burning fossil fuels that pollute the air….”

Paul Damian Wells, a machinist who has run for the office before, did not attend the forum.

The City Club of Central Oregon, along with other organizations has been hosting a series of election forums and have more to come. You can watch past forums and find out about future ones here: cityclubco.org.