Oregon
Ballot Security
What Politicians Say
Since the 2020 election, Oregon has expanded efforts to make it easier to register to vote and send in ballots.
Election security experts say some of the changes could lead to problems with voters remaining on the rolls and delays in counting ballots, which can lead to conspiracy theories and undermine voter confidence.
Ease of Voting
A 2022 law allows Oregon voters to register to vote online as long as they have a Social Security number and permits third-party voter registration drives to electronically submit information on behalf of a resident.
Another new law created a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for intentionally misleading voters about election deadlines and other information on how to vote.
Ballot Security
In many states, voters who fail to cast a ballot after a few years are moved to “inactive” status, the first step toward removing them from the rolls entirely.
In recent years, Oregon extended that length of time from five to 10 years and then, in 2021, the legislature eliminated it entirely.
Under the new law, Oregon voters are now considered inactive if their ballot is missing a signature and they don’t respond to a request to fix it, a piece of mail from elections administrators is returned as undeliverable or they are in prison for a felony conviction.
Elections security experts say the change could lead to dead or out-of-state voters staying on the voter rolls unnecessarily.
Another new law allows mail-in ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received by local elections administrators within seven days.
Looser deadlines like that can lead to delays in counting ballots and certifying elections, which can undermine voter confidence and open the door to legal challenges, election law experts say.
How Politicians Responded to the 2020 Election
US Representative Cliff Bentz objected to the certification of electors from Pennsylvania.