 Out-of-state callers, citing false election information, cause Oregon Elections Division to close phone lines today
SALEM, OR — The Secretary of State Elections Division will close its phone lines today after the system was overwhelmed by out-of-state callers responding to false information circulating on social media.
At issue is the decision by former president Donald Trump to not submit a statement to the Oregon voters’ pamphlet. Social media posts have been falsely claiming this as election interference, when it is in fact a decision made by the Trump campaign. As the Republican candidate for President, Donald Trump will be on the ballot in Oregon.
Despite a public statement from the Oregon Republican Party and media coverage providing clarity on the issue, some social media accounts continue to spread false information.
“Oregonians who need assistance will now have to wait because some individuals operating in bad faith are misleading people online,” said Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade. “We need to do more as a country to discourage this kind of behavior. Spreading rumors and false claims of election interference does nothing to help Oregonians.”
Oregon voters needing assistance can still find information online at OregonVotes.gov and contact the Elections Division via email at election.sos@sos.oregon.gov. Oregon voters requiring assistance can leave a voicemail at the Elections Division and their calls will be prioritized for return.
Under Oregon law (ORS 166.065), it is a crime to harass or threaten an election worker while they are working or because they did their job.
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What you need to know about the 2024 General Election
- Election Day is November 5, 2024. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. or postmarked on this day to be counted.
- Return your ballot in the mail, at a county clerk’s office, or at any of the secure, official drop boxes available throughout the state. Your ballot will be routed to the county in which you are registered to vote for processing.
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The postmark law, passed in 2021, allows ballots postmarked on or before Election Day to count as long as they’re received no later than 7 days after the election. For this reason, election results may be delayed because it will take a few days for all the votes to be counted.
- Preliminary results will be available on the Secretary of State website starting at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Election results are unofficial until certified. County officials will continue to count ballots and report updated results after Election Day.
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