PORTLAND, Ore. — On a recent Saturday at the city’s downtown farmer’s market, among vendors and buskers beneath tall elms, a six-foot-tall talking pencil greeted passersby and handed out flyers. “My name is Pencil,” the mascot announced. “I’m running for governor because we need to raise awareness about education.”
The person inside the costume is J. Schuberth, a former college professor and longtime literacy advocate who built the costume earlier this year and began campaigning to spotlight a single, stark fact: according to one prominent analysis of national test results, Oregon’s fourth-graders rank last in reading among the states.
Schuberth is running a write-in campaign under the name Pencil and is urging voters to skip voting for any Republican or Democrat and instead write “Pencil” on their ballots. It’s an intentionally absurd gesture designed to make a serious point: Schuberth says current political leadership has failed to reverse Oregon’s long-standing literacy problem.
“This is an indictment of the people who are running our state,” Schuberth said, arguing that Democratic majorities have largely set education policy and that more decisive action is needed. The campaign pairs the friendly costume with direct messaging — postcards, flyers and magnets reading, “Oregon’s education system is failing our kids, but together we can FIX it!” — and a push to engage voters in person.
Pencil will not be able to assume the office of governor if elected. The state constitution does not permit an inanimate object or mascot to serve as governor. Schuberth acknowledges that but says the write-in bid can send a wake-up call to incumbents and candidates about how urgent the problem is.
“If there’s a ton of write-ins, there’s going to be some questions about what was written in,” Schuberth said, adding they are exploring ways to tally votes for Pencil by requesting images of ballots. Under Oregon law, election officials generally only tabulate write-in votes for individual names if the total number of write-ins exceeds the votes for the leading candidate, which could make it hard to know precisely how many people chose Pencil.
Schuberth has campaigned in Portland neighborhoods and at markets, sometimes drawing curious reactions. Some Democrats tell the campaign they still plan to support Gov. Tina Kotek, who is seeking another term, but would consider a write-in to express frustration over education outcomes. “Ultimately, I want Tina Kotek to win,” said Randy Hueber, a Portland resident at the market, but he said he might write in Pencil “to get the point across.”
Others were more forceful. “It’s really a crime,” said Suzanne Lassen, reacting to the state’s student performance. “Our education system’s horrendous and it’s only gone down.” Anna Mackay, a parent sitting on a lawn with her children, said her family had chosen private schooling because of disappointing public outcomes and would “certainly consider” a write-in.
Even a local candidate for county judge said Pencil’s focus on reading resonated. “What they’ve talked about with education is very similar to what I’m interested in,” Joe Hagedorn said.
Education has become a central issue across the governor’s race. Every Republican candidate challenging for a shot at Kotek is sharpening critiques of the state’s academic performance, and Kotek herself has acknowledged the problem. The governor has made literacy a priority during her first term, pushing major investments in early literacy programs and backing a law to give state officials more authority to intervene in poorly performing districts.
“I agree with Pencil,” Kotek said in a recent interview. “We have a problem when it comes to literacy and reading and writing in our state. That’s why it’s been a priority for me since my first year as governor.”
Schuberth is skeptical that current efforts will be enough. Citing reforms in other states where focused literacy initiatives produced measurable gains, they argue Oregon needs a more aggressive, evidence-based approach to teaching reading.
Running a campaign isn’t cheap. Schuberth has already spent nearly $30,000 of their own money on the project and says they plan to continue beyond the May primary, taking the message into the November general election.
Whether Pencil collects a measurable tally of votes or simply generates conversation, the campaign aims to turn attention toward literacy and push policymakers to act. For now, the image of a smiling, bespectacled yellow pencil with a pink eraser is doing what it was built to do: attracting attention and starting conversations about Oregon’s struggling schools.