New bill proposes repealing vote-by-mail in Oregon, public invited to testify

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A public hearing on a proposed bill to repeal Oregon’s standard vote-by-mail system is set to take place in Salem on Monday.

Known as SB 210, the bill would end mail-in voting, require voter ID and ensure in-person voting on Election Day in the state of Oregon. But it would still retain mail-in voting for military and overseas voters, as well as those with a mailing address outside Oregon.

The Oregon Legislature first approved mail-in voting in 1981 and it was adopted by a majority of counties by 1987. But it wasn’t until 1998 that Oregon voters approved a measure requiring that all elections be vote by mail. The state then became the first to conduct a presidential election by mail in 2000. 

Only seven other states – and Washington, D.C. – even send mail ballots to all registered voters without requiring them to request one first: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

The hearing on the new bill, sponsored by State Sen. David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford), comes days after President Trump sent a new executive order calling for identity verification requirements and changing vote-by-mail deadlines.

According to Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, upholding the current voting system is critical, as Oregon — which implemented the Oregon Motor Voter Act in 2016– is among states leading the nation in voter turnout.

“The model that we have in Oregon is something that’s a model for the country and allowing people the convenience of voting on their own time, using paper ballots that are signature verified, our systems are a gold standard in that respect,” Read said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the rate of voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election was among the highest in over a century across the U.S. with almost 67% of eligible voters casting their ballots on Election Day.

Further, Oregon and Washington have seen over 75% average voter turnout in the last few presidential elections, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.

Oregon state legislators are inviting the public to submit testimony on SB210 either online, remote, or in-person.

The hearing is set to start at 1 p.m. Monday.

KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.