"Where Is My Request?" You Should Be Able to Check.

Here is a feeling almost everyone knows.

You send something to a government office. A form. A request. An application. Then you wait.

A week goes by. You hear nothing. Did they get it? Is it sitting on a desk? Did it get lost? Should you call? Who would you even call?

Jonathan Curtis wants to end that feeling at the Deschutes County Clerk's Office.

The plan

His plan has two parts.

The first is more services online. That includes records searches, marriage licenses and document requests. If something can be done from your kitchen table, you should not have to take a morning off work to do it in person.

The second is clear online status updates. When you send something in, you should be able to see where it stands. Received. In progress. Done. No phone tag. No wondering.

Why this is about respect

People will wait if they know what is going on. What wears people down is silence.

Curtis has been on the other side of that counter. He managed housing in Madras and Redmond. Repairs and move-ins were part of his job, and residents were waiting on him.

A status update is a small courtesy. It tells a person their request did not fall into a hole.

The counter stays open

Putting more services online does not mean closing the counter.

Plenty of people would rather come in and talk to someone. Some do not have good internet. Some just want a person to answer their question. Curtis's plan calls for every question to be answered promptly, and the same way, for every resident.

Online services should make the line shorter for the people who still want to stand in it. Everybody wins.

Jonathan Curtis is a candidate for Deschutes County Clerk in the November 3, 2026 general election.

Learn more: votejonathancurtis.com

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