Vote By Mail, Audits, Small Business Seminar, Archives Exhibits, and More

Oregon Secretary of State sent this bulletin at 08/20/2020 10:05 AM PDT

900 Court Street NE, Salem, Oregon 97310 - oregon.sos@oregon.gov

News from the Secretary of State

Vote By Mail

Vote By Mail continues to capture the attention of the nation in advance of this Presidential election year. Concerns over the United States Postal Service (USPS) operations was the latest spike in news this month.

Fortunately, Oregon has over two decades of experience working with our local partners at USPS and has an excellent working relationship with them to ensure ongoing support for our elections. We will, of course, continue to work with them and monitor any potential impact to both the mailing out of ballots to voters and the return of ballots. The USPS has told us that Oregon should have “sufficient time for voters to receive, complete, and return their ballots by the state’s Election Day return deadline.”

If any Oregon voter is concerned about the upcoming election in November, there are multiple steps they can take to ensure their ballot is received in time to be counted. Every ballot envelope has a unique barcode so voters can track their ballot on our My Vote website. We also encourage voters to take advantage of the hundreds of conveniently located dropsites throughout the state to drop off their ballot in person. We will continue to work with our partners like county clerks across the state to make sure all Oregonians know the best options to return their ballots, whether it’s through the mail or in secure drop boxes to meet election deadlines.

Corporation Division

Small Business Virtual Seminar Program

Our Secretary of State’s Small Business Advocacy team launched a new virtual seminar program this month. Businesses seeking information about specific topics are invited to these free presentations.

Each week, the team will host a 15-30 minute presentation about a specific topic, followed by an open forum, where attendees can get answers to their questions from presenters. The sessions will also be recorded and posted online for those who can’t participate in person. I am proud our small business advocates continue to innovate to help Oregon businesses navigate state agencies and local governments.

Visit our site to see the schedule of topics on the registration form or to suggest a topic.

Audits Division

Oregon Employment Department IT Modernization Program Project Review

Oregonians and their families have struggled to access unemployment benefits during this COVID-19 public health and economic crisis. In addition to our team’s previous audits of the Oregon Employment Department, the Audits Division recently released a management letter on OED’s IT Modernization Program. The letter highlighted the agency’s important groundwork on planning, external review, and project controls to transition from legacy systems, as well as the significant risks that still remain, including shifting priorities and staffing concerns. You can read the full letter here.

Given the importance of this program and complex systems, the Audits Division will review OED as part of its annual risk assessment process to build the next 2021-22 Audit Plan. A comprehensive audit could provide critical information and recommendations to assist the Governor, legislators, and agency management to ensure current risks and issues with unemployment insurance payments are effectively and permanently addressed and resolved.

Archives Division

On Her Own Wings Exhibit

In celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the 19^th Amendment, the Oregon State Archives is proud to announce an exciting new web exhibit!

On Her Own Wings: Oregon Women and the Struggle for Suffrage explores the history of voting rights in Oregon and the United States with a special focus on the tumultuous opening of the twentieth century. The exhibit showcases the people, events, and symbolism crucial to this cause, the powerful forces acting in opposition to woman suffrage, as well as the groups excluded from the movement who had to win their rights in future struggles.

Click here to get started!

Fall 2020

As we transition next month into the fall election season, we’ll further highlight all of the efforts that go into making Oregon’s Vote By Mail system work to both expand access to the ballot and ensure election integrity.

Sincerely,

Bev Clarno