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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2020
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APPEAL TRIBUNE
Marion County Election Board workers recount ballots for Measure 110 at the Marion County Election Office in Salem on Tuesday. Stayton resident Amy McKenzie
Watts requested the recount for the ballot measure that decriminalized small amounts of drugs. BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Recount for Measure 110 in
Marion County completed
Connor Radnovich and
Virginia Barreda
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Marion County's recount of roughly
10,000 ballots for Measure 110 produced
the same results as the election, accord-
ing to county clerk Bill Burgess.
Tuesday's limited recount came after
a Republican precinct committee per-
son from Stayton requested one on the
basis of "fraud" in the receiving or
counting of ballots. In her Dec. 8 re-
quest, Amy McKenzie Watts wrote that
she has seen "direct evidence of ballots
being mailed to deceased people" and
believes there are indications of voter
fraud in the general election.
The three precincts that were re-
counted were 655 from Stayton, 337
from Salem and 402 from Keizer.
The ballots were tallied by hand by
two teams of four individuals and a su-
pervisor. It took about four hours.
"We didn't uncover any error or fraud
through this process," Burgess said
Wednesday. "There's so much talk in the
media about all these allegations of
fraud, that I think it puts a lot of people
needlessly on edge in Oregon."
Still, "whatever people's line of con-
cern is, we want to address it as trans-
parently and fully as possible. It's too
important to let these rumors become
people's reality," he said.
Burgess added the clerk's office dis-
cussed the security of ballot flow within
the office and accountability of tracking
ballot envelopes, signatures and bal-
lots.
The original precinct results report
Ballot boxes are seen in Marion County Election Office in Salem on Tuesday.
Stayton resident Amy McKenzie Watts requested the recount for the ballot
measure that decriminalized small amounts of drugs.
BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL
from Nov. 3 can be found on Marion
County's website.
Marion County will perform a re-
count of Measure 110 in three precincts
on Tuesday after a Republican precinct
committee person from Stayton re-
quested one on the basis of "fraud" in
the receiving or counting of ballots.
Despite repeated claims, no evidence
of widespread voter fraud exists, nor
has any been proffered by President
Donald Trump or his team in their legal
attempts to discard millions of votes for
Joe Biden in several states.
Multiple statewide recounts have
shown vote tallies to be accurate.
In her Dec. 8 request, Amy McKenzie
Watts wrote that she has seen "direct
evidence of ballots being mailed to de-
ceased people" and believes there are
indications of voter fraud in the general
election.
"I have reason to believe that a hand
recount and audit of all the ballots in the
three precincts listed would be a good
place to start to find out if some ballots
are fraudulent or not," Watts wrote.
Watts sent a statement to the States-
man Journal on Sunday where she fur-
ther iterated why she sought a recount,
including that recounts are part of the
election process and Measure 110 drew
support from outside the state.
She also raised nonspecific concerns
about "error or fraud" and lack of trans-
parency in the process.
Oregonians passed Measure 110 by
approximately 386,000 votes or nearly
17 percentage points. The measure de-
criminalized possession of drugs in-
cluding cocaine, heroin and metham-
phetamine and sent additional funding
toward addiction recovery centers.
There were 169,110 ballots in Marion
County; the county has 123 precincts.
The three precincts that will be re-
counted are 655 from Stayton, 337 from
Salem and 402 from Keizer.
The cost of the recount will be cov-
ered by Watts, which includes $15 per
precinct plus work time for nine people:
one supervisor from Marion County
Clerks and eight election workers.
The cost for four hours is estimated at
$500 and eight hours is estimated to
cost $900.
"For me, it’s worth it to know that ev-
erything is going right in our county,"
Watts told the Statesman Journal.
Marion County Clerk Bill Burgess
said the county already has conducted
an administrative recount of about
18,000 ballots for president, Measure
108 and one other race from the Novem-
ber election.
After the 18,000 ballots were count-
ed, Biden finished with one fewer vote,
while Trump had one more.
The election was certified by the Ore-
gon Secretary of State on Dec. 3. Watts
filed her appeal on the last possible day,
Dec. 8.
Reporter Connor Radnovich covers
the Oregon Legislature and state gov-
ernment. Contact him at cradnov-
ich@statesmanjournal.com or 503-
399-6864, or follow him on Twitter at
@CDRadnovich.
Tips for Children to Stay Healthy During Pandemic
Rebecca Chitkowski
Willamette Connections
Academy
Children across Oregon have endured
physical and emotional challenges dur-
ing recent COVID-19 closures, which has
led to a lack of exercise and stress eating
according to public health experts.1
Childhood obesity has increased fol-
lowing COVID-19 restrictions on
schools, youth sports, and parks. In Ore-
gon, nearly 30% of teens are overweight
or obese according to state figures. Pedi-
atric specialists also note there is an in-
crease in Type 2 diabetes in children
during this same time.
While distance learning may be new
for most families, providing full-time
online public school to students’ homes
is what Willamette Connections Acad-
emy is all about. I encourage students to
use the flexibility of virtual education to
take breaks for a healthy snack or phys-
ical activity and return to assignments
ready to focus. Children can build
healthy eating and exercise habits while
still learning from home.
Be Role Models
Parents should set a good example for
kids with healthy food choices. Stock up
on healthy fruits, vegetables, and whole
grains for healthy snacking and eat
meals together. Research shows youth
who eat the same healthful food as their
parents tend to have healthier diets.
Make it fun by trying out new recipes.
ways loved the outdoors and my favorite
exercise is a short afternoon hike in the
woods near my house. Oregon offers so
many ways for families to explore green
spaces, trails, and forests. When chil-
dren get fresh air out in nature it’s good
for their physical and mental well-being.
Meal Messages
Enjoyable Exercise
Children are more likely to eat health-
ier items if parents avoid calling foods
"good" or "bad". Teach kids the benefits
of nutritious foods using phrases like,
“Eating oranges are great to prevent
colds.”
Talk about why sweet treats are great
for holidays and birthdays, but parents
should emphasize that everyday foods
“help us build strong bodies and give us
energy”.
Staying in shape should be fun, not
something kids “have to do”. Try a yoga
session in the morning to give young
brains and bodies a boost to start the
day. Use painter’s tape in the garage for
games like hopscotch or Simon Says.
Create a dress-up relay where par-
ents put a set of their clothes on one side
of the room then kids run from one side
to the other, putting dress-up clothes on
top of their regular clothes, and dash
back to the starting point.
Play video sports games or check out
home exercises on YouTube. Give chil-
dren balls, skateboards, and other gifts
that encourage physical activity. Kids
appreciate gadgets and competition so
consider getting them a pedometer to
count steps and challenge others to
meet fitness goals.
Schedule Workouts
Encourage children to have a daily fit-
ness routine, especially those with lots
of pent-up energy spending time in-
doors during the winter months. With
the flexibility of online learning, parents
can customize an exercise program to
their student’s individual needs and
work PE into the school day.
Students can do short 5-10 minute
drills between lessons, like jump rope, or
scale the stairs a few times. I have al-
Family Fitness
Make exercise a family affair with a
neighborhood stroll or bike ride to get
everyone moving. Craft an indoor fit-
ness trail resembling a circuit course for
the whole family. Post trail signs at fit-
ness stations around the house describ-
ing each activity- such as, “jumping
jacks”, and “pushups”. Play tunes while
children complete exercises at each sta-
tion, rotating to the next location every
time a song ends.
Healthy Benefits
Studies confirm proper nutrition and
exercise not only improve overall health
for young people but also provide suc-
cess in the classroom.7 Researchers now
believe if children are more physically
active and eat healthier, they can be pro-
tected from severe impacts of CO-
VID-19.8 Hopefully some of these tips
will help children embrace healthy diet
and fitness practices during the pan-
demic, Oregon’s winter weather, and
throughout the year. While exercise and
wholesome eating habits are admirable
New Year’s resolutions, they’re also gifts
parents can give their kids that will pro-
duce benefits for many years to come.
Rebecca Chitkowski is an assistant
principal at Willamette Connections
Academy. For more information about
Willamette Connections Academy go to
WillametteConnectionsAcademy.com
or call 888-478-9474.