Oregon

Articles about voting issues in Oregon.

Wyden Joins Call for USPS to Hold Off Closures | KTVZ

May 052012

Days after the Senate passed postal reform legislation that would have protected states that vote-by-mail or with large numbers of absentee balloting from the concern that postal closures too close to the election will disrupt their ability to vote, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined more than 40 Senate colleagues in a letter Thursday to the postmaster general, calling on the U.S. Postal Service to extend the current moratorium on postal closures beyond the May 15 deadline. “We are deeply concerned that the closing of these postal facilities prior to postal reform legislation being enacted would be devastating to communities around the country,” the senators wrote. “This moratorium will provide the time needed to enact the reforms in the 21st Century Postal Service Act. Again we strongly urge you to extend the current moratorium on the closing of postal facilities.” Read More »

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Oregon No Responses » Topics: absentee ballot, postal service, Ron Wyden

Computer Glitch Blocks Online Voter Registrations | OPB News

Apr 262012

The Secretary of State’s office has identified a computer glitch as the cause of a problem Tuesday that blocked an unknown number of Oregonians from registering to vote in advance of a midnight deadline. Computer techs at the Secretary of State’s office believe the problem was likely due to a communications error between their servers and systems at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Spokeswoman Andrea Cantu-Schomus says while the system was down voters were greeted by a message telling them they could submit their changes by mail as long as they were postmarked that same day. She says the problem primarily seemed to affect requests for new registrations rather than changes to existing ones. Read More »

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Oregon Comments Off Topics: online voter registration

Taxpayers stuck with bill for a cumbersome 'open primary' that features just one candidate | OregonLive.com

Mar 102012

Oregon taxpayers have to spend $200,000 on a cumbersome elections process that will ask the state’s nearly 440,000 unaffiliated voters if they want a Republican primary ballot that features just one candidate. Republican and Democratic Party officials are each accusing the other of wasting taxpayer money while in pursuit of a partisan advantage. About the only thing that’s clear is that only one Republican has even signed up to run for the three statewide seats that the GOP opened to voters who don’t register in any political party. That’s left everybody feeling a little frustrated. ”There’s not much benefit,” fumed Rob Kremer, treasurer of the Oregon Republican Party, “in taxpayer money being spent to no purpose.” Read More »

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Oregon Comments Off Topics: open primary, unopposed candidates

Oregon Escapes Notice in Voter Photo ID Battle | Roll Call

Feb 032012
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More than 200,000 people voted in this week’s special election in Oregon’s 1st district, and none of them had to show photo identification before they cast their ballot. As the voter ID battle rages on in states across the country, the Beaver State hardly registers within the movement, even though it’s possible for an Oregonian to vote without ever having to show a photo ID. “For people arguing about photo IDs, they just haven’t even taken Oregon under consideration,” one GOP strategist said. Read More »

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Oregon Comments Off Topics: absentee voting, photo id, Vote by Mail, voter id

U.S. Postal Service cuts could slow Oregon's mail voting in November | OregonLive.com

Jan 202012
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Oregon Elections Director Stephen Trout says pending cuts by the U.S. Postal Service won’t affect the state’s May primary, but that it could slow ballot delivery and returns for many Oregonians in the November election. The Postal Service is moving toward closing 252 mail processing facilities around the country, including four in Oregon, as part of its efforts to reduce huge losses. ”That very likely would impact the number of days it takes for ballots” to move through the mail, Trout told the Oregon Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday. Read More »

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Oregon Comments Off Topics: US Postal Service, Vote by Mail

State Senators Fight Post Office Closures | KTVZ Bend

Dec 122011

A bi-partisan group of Oregon state senators lead by rural Republicans said Thursday they are petitioning Congress to maintain vital postal links in Oregon. More than 41 post offices are under consideration for closure in Oregon, the majority located in rural areas. In Oregon, post offices are not only a place to get mail, but also serve as ballot boxes.

“Closing a post office in rural Oregon may look like an insignificant rounding error back in Washington DC, but to those who live in the area it is a vital life-line of communication and commerce for businesses, students and families,” said Senator Chris Telfer (R-Bend). “Closing the doors at these post offices further marginalizes rural Oregon, making it that much more difficult for them to make their voice heard or successfully run a business.” Read More »

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Oregon Comments Off Topics: Vote by Mail

Trying Out Voting by iPad for Disabled | NYTimes

Nov 182011
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Oregon last week became the first state in the country to use iPads to allow people with disabilities to vote, and it intends to use them again for another election in January. Several other states are expected to follow suit with iPads or other tablets, possibly as early as for next year’s presidential election.

In a special primary election in five counties in Oregon, 89 people with disabilities marked their ballots on an iPad. They did not actually cast their votes online — Internet voting is an idea whose time has not yet come, several elections officials said. Read More »

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Oregon Comments Off Topics: internet voting, iPad, voters with disabilities

Oregon looks to iPads to help disabled people vote | Yahoo! News

Nov 092011
Vote By iPad

Oregon was first in the nation to have all residents vote by mail. Now it’s pioneering another idea: vote by iPad. Voters in five counties are filling out and returning their mail-in ballots for a Tuesday special primary election to replace former U.S. Rep. David Wu, who resigned following a sex scandal. A handful will mark their ballots not with a pen but with the tip of their finger.
It’s the latest attempt at using new technology to help voters with disabilities cast ballots privately.

Armed with iPads and portable printers, county election workers are going to parks, nursing homes, community centers and anywhere else they might find groups of voters who have trouble filling out traditional paper ballots. Using the iPad, disabled voters can call up the right ballot and tap the screen to pick a candidate, with or without the help of election workers. The voters then print the completed ballot and stuff it in an envelope to sign, take with them and drop in the mail or an official ballot box. Read More »

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Oregon Comments Off Topics: iPad, Vote by Mail, voters with disabilities

How Wu vacancy would get filled | kgw.com

Jul 282011

Under Oregon law, Gov. John Kitzhaber calls for a special election to replace a member of Congress. His spokeswoman Christine Miles said he was still reviewing the procedures Tuesday and would outline the election parameters when a review was completed.

Complicating that review is the fact that U.S. Rep David Wu, while announcing his intent to resign, has not officially done so. Nor has he specified a date, other than sometime after the debt ceiling vote in Congress has taken place. Read More »

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Oregon Comments Off Topics: primary election, special election

Senate OK’s Legislation To Improve Oregon Voter Registration | myCentralOregon.com

May 312011

The Oregon Senate approved legislation Thursday that supporters said will help the state improve voter registration. House Bill 2880 will require state agencies to evaluate their compliance with the National Voter Registration Act and make plans for improving their compliance.

“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and Oregonians are proud of our high rate of registration and turnout in elections,” said Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum, who carried the bill on the floor. Read More »

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Oregon Comments Off Topics: motor voter, NVRA, voter registration

Why Return of Voted Ballots Should Not be Permitted via Email | Voting Matters Blog

May 312011

Email voting?  Why not, one might ask?!  A lot of folks use the false analogy of  online banking to argue that email voting should be allowed for the convenience and accessibility of voters.  Not a moment of thought is given to the security risks involved.  So I’ve done a brief Fact Sheet summarizing the major arguments against returning voted ballots via email.  I’m OK with distribution of blank ballots via email but not the return of voted ballots by the same method.

Oregon, like many other states, considering authorizing email return of ballots — the bill is HB 3074 and this post is directed toward that proposed law, but could effectively be applied to a host of other states which are considering similar legislation (or perhaps need to review already adopted laws in light of these arguments). Read More »

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Blogs, Oregon Comments Off Topics: email voting, internet voting
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