Bogart

A delivery truck pulled up behind an old building on a prearranged day in March. The driver called a contact person inside the building to notify her of the arrival. Two people came out to the truck to check the cargo before it was moved into the building. From that time on, it was monitored both in person and by surveillance cameras until it was secured in a metal cage behind locked doors.

The shipment in this scenario consisted of ballots for the upcoming May 17 primary election delivered to the Baker County Courthouse. Receiving the ballots were County Clerk Stefanie Kirby and Deputy Elections Clerk Yvonne Nork. The delivery is just one step in a tightly regulated process for conducting elections in Oregon.

Most of the extensive details of the election process are covered by the Oregon Vote by Mail Procedures Manual, which Kirby calls the “Elections Bible.” It is available to the public through the Secretary of State website. As county clerk, Kirby is the county’s chief election official responsible for overseeing the process throughout the county. The state’s election website lists her responsibilities, which include checking ballot measures, ensuring that elections are conducted according to state law and procedures, maintaining voter and candidate records, ensuring uniform application of election laws, and assuring that the public receives complete and accurate information regarding elections.

To illustrate the complexity of the election process, Kirby pointed out that she ordered 57 different “ballot styles” this year. Because this is a “closed primary election,” Democrats, Republicans and nonaffiliated voters will receive different ballots so they can only vote within their party for the partisan races, such as governor, senator, and representatives in both Congress and the Oregon Legislature.

Ballot styles also depend on residence in different communities and special districts (such as a rural fire district) with their own local races. Party precinct chairs will also be included on the ballot this year, rather than being printed on a separate page. All of the ballots will include state ballot measures and local nonpartisan offices, including two county commissioner positions. All of this customization is tracked using the Oregon Centralized Voter Registration Software which uses identification numbers and bar codes.

Kirby emphasized that voters have until April 26 to check and update their voter registration status, including address and party affiliation, in order to receive the correct ballot in the mail. Voters can check this information using the Oregon Secretary of State website or by contacting the County Clerk’s office at 541-523-8207.

Oregon has an automatic voter registration process through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for those who qualify. Kirby explained that this is an “opt out” program in which the new registrants are notified by mail so they can fill out a form to select a party or have their name removed from the system. Voter lists are updated on an ongoing basis using several sources, Kirby explained. Residents can also register at the County Clerk’s office in the Courthouse, 1995 Third St.

The ballots remain locked up until the prescribed time to bring in the local Election Board, a pool of volunteers representing both major parties and nonaffiliated voters, who work in teams to match bar-coded envelopes with the correct ballot styles. The surveillance requirements continue during this process and until ballots are delivered to the post office for mailing. Ballots will be mailed between April 27 and May 3 for most voters. Military and other out-of-state Oregon voters have probably already received ballots.

Voters can complete and return their ballots anytime on or prior to election day, May 17, by placing them in the mail (postage is now prepaid) or in the designated drop boxes at the Courthouse, at Community Connection in Baker City or at the city halls in Richland, Halfway, or Huntington. Ballots can also be taken directly to the County Clerk’s office. There will also be a voting booth at the Clerks office for anyone wishing to vote there in person.

This year ballots will be counted if postmarked by election day, May 17. Voters need to check collection times at the post office to be sure the ballot is postmarked by that day in order to be counted. Voters using county drop boxes or voting at the courthouse must submit their ballots by 8 p.m. on election day.

As ballots are received, the envelopes are scanned and the signatures are verified. Then they are stored, unopened, until election day. Kirby and her staff have received special training in signature verification. If envelopes are unsigned or the signature can’t be verified, the voters are contacted and allowed to come to the clerk’s office to make a determination that the ballot is valid.

On election day the election board is again called into service. Under the supervision of Kirby and Nork, and with video monitoring, they work in pairs, representing different parties. They open the envelopes and separate them from the ballots so votes remain anonymous. Ballots are then inspected to make sure they are ready to tabulate. Part of that job is to determine if the voter’s intent is clear. For example, some people may have marked two candidates. Others may have put a small dot instead of filling in the oval to indicate their choice. If the intent seems clear, the ballot can be counted; otherwise it will be set aside and an election official will attempt to contact the voter so they can complete a new ballot.

The county uses an automated tabulator to count votes. Kirby said this machine undergoes preventive maintenance and practice runs to be sure results will be accurate. Some ballots are run through the tabulator and then counted by hand to be sure the results match. She also emphasized that the counting is done locally, and the tabulator is not connected to the internet.

Procedures in the ballot processing room are strictly managed. For example, a political party or individual candidates may request to have an observer in the room, but they must follow specific policies so as not to interfere with the verification and counting processes. Media tours are also allowed within strict guidelines. Space is a factor in allowing observers, which was especially true during the 2020 election due to high COVID-19 rates.

Unofficial results are announced when all accepted ballots have been counted on election day. However, the final results will depend upon completion of counting votes that arrive late but are postmarked by election day as well as provisional ballots that were damaged or where voter intent was not initially evident.

There are many more dates on the election calendar involving recounts, challenges, write-in candidates, etc. The final step in the process, however, is for election officials in each county to certify the results and report them to the secretary of state on June 23.

Kirby stressed the necessity of accuracy and adherence to procedures. She said the process requires “lots of checks and balances and lots of proofreading.”

Oregon’s first statewide vote-by-mail (VBM) special election was held in 1993. Then in 1998 voters overwhelming approved expanding VBM to primary and general elections. In November of 2000, Oregon became the first state in the country to conduct an all vote-by-mail general election.