PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – We are 56 days away from midterm elections, and in an effort to protect the voting by mail in the state, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is requesting $1.25 million in emergency funding to expand ballot drop boxes. The proposal comes amid debates over mail-in voting.
With midterms nearing, Secretary of State Tobias Read wants to ensure every Oregonian’s vote counts.
“We are good at making it convenient for eligible voters and we want to get even better,” said Read.
Read’s $1.25 million proposal adds 20 drop boxes statewide, expands ballot tracking, and funds county notifications for inactive voters.
“This is stuff you can count on, we’re going to put more drop boxes out, we’re going to let people see where there ballots are, and we’re going to give them every tool they need to vote and hold government accountable,” said Read.
Read addressed the plan at a Gresham town hall, defending the state’s decades-old vote-by-mail system.
“They are safe, they are accurate, they are fair. We want Oregonians to get their ballots and have the opportunity to think about their choices, fill out their ballot, sign the envelope and put it in a drop box that way you don’t have to worry about where it’s going it’s going directly to your county elections office,” said Read.
The Oregon legislature approved the plan unanimously Tuesday. It now heads to the emergency board on Thursday.
“We have been doing it this way for nearly 30 years because it works, we get more turnout, we’re a stronger state, we’re a stronger country, when eligible people participate and we’re doing everything we can to protect the rights of Oregonians to vote,” said Read.
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