Residents tell commissioners vote-by-mail system is insecure, urge return to in-person voting

Several Washington County residents used the Sept. 16 public-comment period to criticize Oregon’s vote-by-mail system and to ask the board what steps it would take to ensure election integrity and prepare for in-person voting if state or federal practices change.

Karen Schmidlin recounted a statewide news conference about vote-by-mail and said federal and state officials were “concerned” about efforts to require in-person voting. Schmidlin criticized statements by national and state figures that she said went unchallenged and asked what the county would do to prepare for in-person voting and hand counting if needed.

Jill Latray said she had collected written public comments submitted after a KATU news conference and read multiple voter anecdotes into the record, including claims that ballots had been received and cast by others, and called vote-by-mail “a proven failure” in some of the public comments she read.

Dale Feek raised election integrity generally and also raised separate county policy items for the board’s attention. Several commenters asked the board to consider measures such as requiring in-person proof of citizenship for voter registration, hand counting ballots, and restoring in-person voting on a single election day with limited absentee options.

Commissioners did not take action on election policy at the Sept. 16 meeting; callers asked what Washington County would do to prepare for alternative voting methods should state or federal standards change.