Gov. Kate Brown said Tuesday that Oregonians have a vote by mail system that they can trust.
“Sadly, there are some who are casting doubt on a system that is 99.999% secure,” she said in a statement released Election Day. “In scenes reminiscent of the Jim Crow South, we are watching today as some states across the country make it more difficult for eligible citizens to access the right to vote. We’re seeing in real time as some states take away polling locations and ask voters to risk their health and safety to stand in long lines to cast their ballot.”
She added that Oregonians and Americans should be prepared to wait several days for election results to become official.
Officials caution voters should never give their ballots to others to drop off for them unless they know and trust them.
In Oregon, anyone can legally collect ballots. “However, the law requires that anyone collecting those ballots must clearly state unofficial on the collection box,” Jessica Morkert-Shibley, a Multnomah County spokeswoman, said. The law also requires the lettering for any unofficial ballot drop site be large, bold and all capital letters, she said.
Oregon law requires people who collect ballots on behalf of other voters to turn them in on time. Failure to do so is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 per violation.
That means handing off your ballot carries some risk. In 2019, the union-backed political action committee Defend Oregon failed to return 96 ballots entrusted to it until after the Nov. 6 election.
Oregon voters experiencing non-emergency issues or concerns about their ballot can call 971-673-4111, according to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.
While much of the nationwide concern around this year’s election has centered on states that are voting by mail for the first time, Oregon has been using mail-in ballots for more than 20 years after it became the first state in the nation to adopt the practice in 2000.
In addition to the new hotline, officials in Multnomah County doubled the number of cameras at the Southeast Portland headquarters to monitor inside and outside the building. Tim Scott, the county’s elections director, refers to the building at Southeast 11th Avenue and Morrison Street as a “fortress.”
The county has done a few things differently this year, including spending more money on physical security due to the “national conversation and misinformation about what you can and can’t do with a vote by mail ballot,” Scott said.
Private security companies monitor the 30 drop boxes and library drop off areas. Again, that’s normal.
Elections officials have previously worked with the sheriff’s office to provide security in the lead up to Election Day. Scott said this year they added a few more days so sheriff’s deputies will be patrolling near drop boxes or the elections headquarters, where many Portlanders drop their ballots.
Elections officials encourage voters to use the ballot drop site nearest them to avoid congestion at the county elections building.
Scott said the dozens of official ballot boxes around town are incredibly secure. The big boxes are constructed of three-sixteenth of an inch steel. "They’re physically designed for security, Scott said. “They weigh over 1,000 pounds. Those are very sturdy boxes.”
He’s not aware of any box being damaged or anyone trying to tamper with one.
In Lane County, some voters registered concerns over armed people near a ballot site. Voter intimidation or obstruction is illegal in Oregon.
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Election Day 2020 vote security front of mind for officials in Oregon - OregonLive
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