Should Oregon end its vote-by-mail system? Legislators seek public opinion

SALEM, Ore. (KOIN) – 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.

But Republican State Sen. David Brock Smith of Port Orford introduced a bill that, if passed, would put an end to a vote-by-mail system that has been in place in Oregon for decades.

“We think it’s time, which is why this is a referral for Oregonians to either reaffirm or deny vote by mail in this state,” Smith said.

Monday’s public hearing gave the public their first chance to testify for or against Senate Bill 210, which proposes scrapping mail-in voting in favor of in-person voting on Election Day. It would still retain mail-in voting for military and overseas voters, as well as those with a mailing address outside Oregon.

Oregon state legislators invited the public to submit testimony on SB210 either online, remote, or in-person. More than 150 people signed up to testify Monday, but the committee chair said most of them were opposed to the plan.

Supporters of the measure say after Oregon’s DMV was found to have registered more than 1000 non-citizens through the motor voter program it’s time to return to the way it was a generation ago.

This bill also would require any mail-in ballots to be returned by Election Day. Currently they just need to be postmarked by Election Day. It would also get rid of the state postage-paid return envelopes for ballots.

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.

This bill comes at a time when President Trump has issued executive orders requiring proof-of-citizenship when registering to vote and restricting mail-in voting deadlines.

If SB 210 makes it through the legislature, it would be a referral measure for voters to decide on.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to update this story.