Washington County elections officials defend vote‑by‑mail, outline turnout and security steps

Washington County elections leaders summarized the November 5, 2024, general election for the Washington County Board of Commissioners, saying the election was conducted “accurately and in accordance with all applicable state and federal elections laws” and that official results were certified to the Oregon Secretary of State and participating districts, Elections Division Manager Dan Forrester said.

The presentation laid out how the county runs a vote‑by‑mail election from candidate filing and ballot design through printing, mailing, signature verification, ballot opening and tabulation, and post‑election adjudication; it also reviewed turnout, costs and community outreach, and addressed repeated concerns about vote‑by‑mail security and observation access.

Forrester opened the presentation by describing the work flow and scale: staff proof multiple ballot styles (171 in the November general), run extensive logic‑and‑accuracy tests (roughly 9,000 test ballots in the tabulation deck for this election), and operate bipartisan teams to open, verify and adjudicate ballots. “The November 5, 2024 general election was a successful election conducted accurately and in accordance with all applicable state and federal elections laws,” Forrester said.

Why this matters: Washington County uses vote‑by‑mail for statewide compliance, and the county’s handling of ballots and access for observers has been the focus of sustained public comment. County staff described current procedures, legal constraints and possible, resource‑dependent options to expand observation without compromising security.

Key operational figures and outreach - Ballots processed: elections staff reported accepting and processing 301,105 ballots. Registered voters in the county were reported at…