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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
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APPEAL TRIBUNE
How to get your
ballot if your
home is destroyed
Connor Radnovich
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon elections officials say they
are prepared to ensure that anyone who
lost their home from wildfires this year
will be able to get their ballots and vote
by Nov. 3.
The processes in place to assist wild-
fire victims are the same as those used
for people who are homeless or are con-
tinuous travelers, but are being scaled
up in response to the destructive wild-
fires.
Ballots will be mailed out starting
Oct. 14.
“We always have displaced people at
any time, but this is, of course, a much
larger group of displaced people,” Bill
Burgess, Marion County clerk and
president of the Oregon Association of
County Clerks, said.
If you have a temporary address, the
easiest way to get your ballot is to up-
date your mailing address online at ore-
gonvotes.gov under the “My Vote” tab.
People can also update their mailing
address by emailing or writing a letter
to their county elections office, mailing
a voter registration card (usually avail-
able at post offices) to the elections of-
fice or visiting the office in person.
A new mailing address can be a resi-
dence or some other location, such as
the county elections office. People in
chronic homelessness in Marion Coun-
ty have their ballots delivered to shel-
ters, including the Union Gospel Mis-
sion.
The new address can even be out of
state if a displaced person is now living
with family or friends elsewhere. Ore-
gon elections officials already mail bal-
lots around the world.
Burgess also stressed that individ-
uals who update their addresses with
USPS should also specifically update it
with their elections office.
“We’ll send it to them wherever they
want, they just need to update their
mailing address, which is very simple
to do,” Burgess said.
Changing your mailing address does
not alter your ballot; the residential ad-
dress determines which races voters
can vote on.
As with other mail that is undeliver-
able to a home, mailed ballots will be
held at the post office that services
their area. Burgess said the post office
has decided to hold ballots at local post
offices for pickup until election day,
rather than the standard 14 days.
What if I don’t receive a ballot?
Voters who do not receive a ballot by
Oct. 21 should call their county elec-
tions office. This allows officials to mail
out a ballot and ensures the voter re-
ceives it in time to vote.
State election officials do not recom-
mend mailing ballots after Oct. 27 —
one week before the election. Ballots
must arrive at the elections office by 8
p.m. Nov. 3 to count.
Beyond Oct. 27, voters should turn in
their ballot at a drop location. To find
drop sites, visit your county elections
website or the Secretary of State’s
website.
If a ballot has not been received by
Oct. 27, Burgess said voters should go in
person to their county elections office.
Elections officials can create a ballot for
them on the spot and digitally cancel
any previously-issued ballots.
To accommodate last-minute vot-
ers, Burgess said, Marion County is ex-
panding its in-person voting option at
the elections office.
During the two weeks leading up to
the election, a large room will be used
as a voting area, he said. Typically, this
is only an option for Election Day and
the Monday before, but it is being ex-
panded this year due to the wildfires.
This area will also abide by social
distancing protocols and masks will be
required, due to the coronavirus pan-
demic.
Have questions about voting? Con-
tact reporter Connor Radnovich at
cradnovich@statesmanjournal.com or
503-399-6864, or follow him on Twitter
at @CDRadnovich.
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Carrie Steele
Guest Columnist
Sometimes, teachable moments oc-
cur whether parents are ready or not.
Families across Oregon have done their
best to help children deal with the coro-
navirus pandemic and now the state is
ravaged by wildfires and covered in
smoke.
September is National Preparedness
Month. As adults, we tend to protect our
kids from scary things like natural di-
sasters. However, it’s important for chil-
dren to understand what to do in an
emergency and how they can prepare.
Many Americans (65%) think a major
disaster will impact their family in the
next five years, but half don’t have an
emergency plan, according to a recent
national poll.
Just days before the catastrophic
wildfires, the head of the state’s Office of
Emergency Management released a
statement about National Preparedness
Month calling it, “an opportunity for ev-
ery Oregonian to learn how they can
best prepare their family for all types of
emergencies.” Andrew Phelps warned.
“Emergencies don’t wait for you to be
ready, so it’s important to take steps to
prepare today.”
Disasters can strike anywhere at any
time. In Oregon, these emergencies
range from floods and winter storms to
earthquakes and wildfires. Being pre-
pared helps a family stay safe during an
emergency.
Students should comprehend the ba-
sics of emergency preparation so they
can take potentially life-saving action
during a disaster, even if their parents
aren’t around. Parents can teach kids
about preparedness and reassure them
by demonstrating how to get involved.
Research the facts
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Wildfires provide
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Have children research the types of
emergencies to prepare for in your re-
gion like landslides, ice, and wind
storms. Talk with students about re-
sponding to these hazards, like making
your home more resistant to winter
storms.
Children should also learn the causes
and consequences of disasters. For ex-
ample, wildfires can have natural ori-
gins like lightning, but are often sparked
by humans who didn’t extinguish a
campfire properly. Use this research to
help teach your children how they pre-
vent natural disasters, such as wildfires.
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Address: P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309
Including students in the planning
keeps them informed and empowers
them to help other family members.
First, establish a meeting place to re-
unite that’s safe and easy to locate in
case the family gets separated..
Second, make a list of essential con-
tacts that include relatives and doctors’
offices. Everyone in the family should
carry a copy of this list in their purse or
backpack and post one on the refriger-
ator or bulletin board.
Finally, talk to your children about
aspects of the family disaster plan in-
cluding smoke alarms, evacuation
routes out of the house, and signing up
for local emergency alerts on smart-
phones. To find these recommenda-
tions visit Ready.gov/plan. This site is
designed by the US Department of
Homeland Security for the whole family.
Build a kit
Explain to children that creating
emergency kits is critical in disaster
planning. If utilities fail the refrigerator
won’t keep food cold, the stove can’t
heat meals, and faucets won’t have
clean water. Involve children in making
a checklist for the family’s emergency
kit and ask students to help assemble
disaster supplies. Three days of sup-
plies is a good start, but disaster experts
recommend families stock up for two
weeks to be self-sufficient.
Families building their emergency
supply kit should remember five “P’s” of
evacuation: People, Prescriptions, Pa-
pers, Personal Needs, Priceless Items.
Helpful lists for basic disaster supplies
to pack are at ready.gov/kit but here are
a few suggestions:
h Water (one gallon per person per
day for at least three days)
h Non-perishable food
h Battery-powered radio
h Cell phone with chargers and back-
up battery
h Flashlight
h First aid kit
h Pet food
h Important documents (bank rec-
ords and insurance policies)
Store items in airtight plastic bags,
bins or duffel bags. Since emergencies
come without warnings, make “go-
bags” with supplies stored at work and
in cars as well.
Practice the plan
Similar to fire drills, it’s helpful to
have regular practice sessions to review
the emergency plan, communications,
and update the disaster kit with fresh
items. Family’s needs change over time
so it’s good to revise the disaster plan
when necessary. Refresher courses help
all family members remember their
roles if an emergency does occur.
Emergency planning provides many
benefits for students. Research shows
children are less anxious and more con-
fident during actual disasters when
they’ve planned for emergencies. By
teaching children disaster preparedness
they develop a strong sense of civic re-
sponsibility and are likely to teach oth-
ers, perhaps even their own children
once they become an adult.4
Claire Steele is a biology teacher for
Willamette Connections Academy. For
more information, call 888-478-9474 or
visit the WillametteConnectionsAcade-
my.com
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Santiam
Canyon
Continued from Page 1A
come together, good things happen,”
Hudson said.
Donations can be made online at
www.SantiamHospital.org and are tax
deductible.
In-kind donations of goods can be
donated at the SIT Mobile location at
101 Center Street Suite A in Sublimity,
Immaculate Conception Church office
at 1077 N 6th Ave in Stayton, the Cas-
cade School District at 10225 Marion
Road SE in Turner and 13th Street Nurs-
ery at 1298 13th Street in Salem.
Bill Poehler covers Marion County
for the Statesman Journal. Contact him
at bpoehler@statesmanjournal.com or
Twitter.com/bpoehler
Support local journalism by sub-
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