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Dear Oregon Voter,
Happy Veterans Day!
All across the state this week, 36 independent county elections officials were counting ballots and reporting results.
In many contests, those results are close, which is why some of the candidates and ballot measures you’re following may be “too close to call.” Yesterday, we posted on Twitter and Facebook about why it takes time to count votes and declare a winner. I would encourage you to read those posts and share them. If you don’t have social media, I’m including the text below.
Since 1981, Republicans and Democrats have worked together to build the country’s most accessible voting system, a vote-by-mail system that we can all be proud of.
Vote by mail is safe and secure, with signature verification, post-election audits and other security measures built right in. Your votes will determine the outcome of this election. Period.
I'm also happy to say that we have zero reports of widespread voter fraud. Zero. The rare cases that do happen will be caught and the votes won't count.
Democracy is a shared value that runs deep in our beloved state. Democracy is also fragile. We have to choose to protect and participate in it every day. I’m proud of Oregon for the priority we place on voting accessibility and high participation. Thank you all for getting your ballots in and making your voice heard.
Sincerely,
Secretary of State
Shemia Fagan
Here is the text from the social media posts referenced above:
Wondering why some contests are “too close to call?” This isn’t new; it’s normal. Election results are not immediate. Media outlets provide helpful projections, but official results take several weeks to finalize. Here’s why …
- Oregon has a rigorous process that makes voter fraud nonexistent in all but vanishingly rare cases, and that takes time. Every signature on every ballot envelope is verified. And the vote tallying process prioritizes accuracy and transparency, not speed.
- Also, ballots that are cast on-time under the new postmark law continue to arrive after Election Day. They are valid and cast on-time, so they are counted when they arrive.
- Trained workers stay late into the evening on Election Day to review and verify returned ballots, and they are back at it again today. Over the next week, elections officials will continue to count valid, on-time ballots and perform other post-election duties.
- Elections officials report results as they become available. In close contests, like what we have this year, Media outlets may wait until many of the results are reported before projecting a winner. This is normal and expected.
- Official results take even longer. Counties retest their voting machines and conduct post-election audits, prioritizing accuracy and transparency. Only after all of this will the Secretary of State certify the election on December 15.
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