OPPORTUNITIES

RECENT LEGISLATION IN OREGON

As of August 17, 2021

Oregon has been conducting its elections by mail for years, so the state already had the infrastructure needed in order to run elections safely and securely in the “new normal.” However, not willing to rest on its laurels, so far in 2021 the state has protected passed three major mail voting laws: HB 3291 allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within a week after election day, SB27 extends preprocessing, and HB 2323 criminalizes communicating knowingly false statements to mislead voters about using the electoral system, including about vote by mail procedures and deadlines.

OUR CONCLUSION

In summary, Oregon had little need to enact temporary electoral reforms in 2020, as its existing system proved resilient enough to maintain its ability to allow voters to vote safely, both in person and by mail, in spite of the pandemic. Yet, despite its admirable accessible mail voting system, there are always opportunities to further improve. The State should implement SDVR, mandate RLAs, establish vote centers, and improve statewide ballot tracking. These reforms will bring Oregon one step closer to a more safe, efficient, and voter-friendly election process.

As always, we stress that policy is important, but it is just as important that it is implemented well. We at the National Vote at Home Institute stand ready to help design and implement these policies and processes; we are grateful for the opportunity to contribute our expertise.