OREGON
A8 — THE OBSERVER
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2022
Johnson goes ‘full-court press’
in insurgent bid for governor
Independent has raised more
than $8 million, currently has
$5.3 million in campaign fund
Gillian Flaccus/The Associated Press
An election worker examines a ballot at the Clackamas County Elections Offi ce on Thursday, May 19,
2022, Oregon City. Ballots with blurry barcodes that can’t be read by vote-counting machines will delay
election results by weeks in a key U.S. House race in Oregon’s primary.
Pressure mounts in
Oregon ballot fi asco
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
and SARA CLINE
The Associated Press
OREGON CITY —
A Democratic state law-
maker in Oregon is calling
for an investigation into a
ballot-printing fi asco that
will delay results from the
Tuesday, May 17, primary
by weeks, with a key U.S.
House race hanging in the
balance in a state that prides
itself on voter access and
election transparency.
Tens of thousands of
ballots in the state’s third-
largest county were printed
with blurred barcodes,
making them unreadable
by vote-counting machines
— a mistake that wasn’t
caught until ballots were
already being returned in
the vote-by-mail state. Elec-
tions workers must now
hand-transfer the votes
from those ballots to new
ones that can be read in a
painstaking process that
also raises the possibility of
duplication errors.
As the scope of the
crisis became apparent,
local, state and federal law-
makers Friday, May 20, all
escalated their criticism of
Clackamas County Elec-
tions Clerk Sherry Hall,
who defended her actions at
a news conference Friday
and said she had learned
from the mistakes.
State Rep. Janelle
Bynum, who represents
voters in the county, called
the situation “unreason-
able, and untenable” and
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer,
who represents some Clack-
amas voters in Congress,
called Hall’s slow reaction
“unconscionable.” Oregon
Secretary of State Shemia
Fagan demanded a written
plan from Hall detailing
how she would get the elec-
tion results tabulated by
June 13, the state deadline
to certify results.
“Despite having time
to prepare for an Election
Day disaster, Ms. Hall has
repeatedly failed to adapt
and accept enough help to
remedy the current crisis,”
Bynum said.
Mistakes made
The debacle has angered
many in Oregon, where
all ballots have been cast
only by mail for 23 years
and lawmakers have con-
sistently pushed to expand
voter access through auto-
matic voter registration and
expanded deadlines. It’s also
thrown into question a key
U.S. House race in a district
that includes a large por-
tion of Clackamas County,
which stretches nearly 2,000
square miles, from Port-
land’s liberal southern sub-
urbs to rural conservative
communities on the fl anks
of Mount Hood.
In the Democratic pri-
mary for Oregon’s 5th
Congressional District,
seven-term Rep. Kurt
Schrader, a moderate, was
trailing in the vote behind
progressive challenger
Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
The outcome could have
an outsized impact in
November, with the possi-
bility that voters could fl ip
the seat for the GOP.
At a news conference on
May 20, Hall said she made
mistakes. When pressed
on why she didn’t do more
to address the problem
when it was discovered in
early May, Hall said, “I just
didn’t.”
“I didn’t respond to this
with the urgency that I
should have and I realize
that, but I still know that we
will have the counting done
on time,” she said. “This
was something we’ve never
seen before and so some of
it, I guess it’s just the reac-
tion and the learning.”
State Republicans were
also paying close attention
to the ballot mess.
Republican state Sen.
Bill Kennemer, whose dis-
trict includes much of
Clackamas County, called
the ballot issues “alarming
and concerning” and said
he hoped the crisis would
prompt fi xes to the system.
“I would really love to
see us after we get through
this crisis, take some deep
breaths and get some
experts in there that we
have confi dence with, and
then start looking where
our chinks in our armor are
and what do we need to fi x
it,” he told The Associated
Press on May 20.
Hall used Moonlight
BPO in Bend — a printer
not used for ballots by any
other county — and said
she has used them for 10
years without any problems.
Moonlight, which was
founded as a small family
business in 1985, had been a
certifi ed printer for the elec-
tion system the county uses,
the Hart InterCivic tabula-
tion system, but Hall said
the company stopped certi-
fying any printers for bal-
lot-printing in 2020. Clack-
amas County continued to
use Moonlight, but Hall
said, “I don’t intend to use
them ever again.”
Aaron Berg, a represen-
tative of Moonlight, said
Moonlight has not been able
to fi gure out what happened
to the ballots.
“We follow the exact
same protocol and pro-
cess every year and nothing
changed this year,” he told
AP. “We’ve got to fi gure out
what the heck is going on.
And we’re not saying it’s
anyone’s fault.”
Berg said a team from
Moonlight traveled to
Clackamas County in early
May and met with Hall
and another of her staff to
review the process.
“That’s the last we’ve
heard of it until it hit the
news, much to our sur-
prise,” Berg said.
Unreadable ballots
As many as 60,000 bal-
lots are unreadable by vote-
counting machines because
of blurry barcodes and up
to 200 county employees
were being redeployed
starting May 19 from their
normal duties to hand-
transfer the voter’s intent to
a fresh ballot that could be
scanned. Just 27,342 ballots
of more than 90,000 that
were returned had been tal-
lied by May 20.
Hall said the problem
came to light May 3, when
workers put the fi rst ballots
returned through the vote-
counting machine. About
70 or 80 ballots from each
batch of 125 were spit out
as unreadable because their
barcodes were more faint
and slightly blurred. It was
too late to print and mail
new ballots, she said.
Hall and her staff did
not “proof” the printed bal-
lots before they were mailed
out to check for any issues,
as is considered best prac-
tice, but had talked about
doing so, she said. That still
wouldn’t have caught the
problem if the toner ran low
toward the end of a printing
batch, aff ecting the bar-
codes, as may have hap-
pened in this case, she said.
As Election Day
approached and ballots
stacked up, Hall said she
allowed elections workers
to take the weekend off
because just three people
signed up to work Saturday
or Sunday. Most election
workers are “between the
ages of 70 and 85” and they
need rest, she said.
Fagan said her offi ce
off ered Hall help twice after
the problem came to light,
but Hall said her county had
enough resources.
State elections offi cials
say they have little authority
over the nonpartisan local
county elections offi cials,
who operate independently
and are beholden to voters.
Hall is up for reelection in
November after holding the
job since 2003.
It’s not the fi rst time Hall
has come under fi re in her
elections role. In 2012, a
temporary election worker
was sentenced to 90 days in
jail after admitting she tam-
pered with two ballots. In
2014, Hall was criticized for
using the phrase “Democrat
Party” — a pejorative used
by Republicans to demean
Democrats — on a primary
ballot instead of Demo-
cratic Party.
A county audit con-
ducted last year identifi ed
several problems with elec-
tions procedures, but Hall
implemented only two of
the four fi xes suggested in
the audit, Tootie Smith, the
county chair, said.
most recently on carbon cap legislation
that led to Republican walkouts in 2019
and 2020. Passage of the bill was a pri-
ority for Kotek. While its fate was uncer-
tain in the Senate, Johnson was seen as a
likely opponent.
By GARY A. WARNER
Over the years, Kotek and leaders of
Oregon Capital Bureau
the progressive wing of the Legislature’s
Democrats have seen Johnson as a road-
SALEM — The “Betsy Brigades” are
block to legislation on gun control, the
revving up to move into the Oregon polit- environment and the expansion of collec-
tive bargaining rights further up the ranks
ical scene, carrying the message of the
of fi re, police and other public employees.
insurgent moderate seeking to become
Johnson already has a soundbite-ready
just the second independent governor in
line when asked about Kotek, playing off
state history.
polls that show Gov. Kate Brown with
“We’re in full-court press,” Betsy
low popularity ratings.
Johnson said in an interview on primary
“Tina Kotek is more Kate Brown than
election day. “We’re going to have Betsy
Brigades teeing up to gather signatures in Kate Brown,” she said.
On the Republican side,
every county.”
Drazan won a fragmented
Johnson’s mixing of bas-
primary with 22% of the
ketball and golf metaphors
vote among 19 candidates.
is symbolic of what she says
Fervent followers of former
Oregon needs in its politics:
President Donald Trump
a variety.
were unable to rally around
“Take the best ideas from
a single standard bearer,
Democrats and the best ideas
instead splitting their votes
of Republicans so Oregon
into substantial chunks
can get its mojo back,” she
spread among several can-
said.
didates. That helped Drazan
She’s eager to unleash
“Take
win on election night.
her campaign, sending vol-
Johnson said it will be
unteers dubbed “Betsy Bri-
the best
impossible for Drazan to
gades” out to connect with
appeal to moderate swing
voters in all 36 counties.
ideas from
voters who are the key to
With Democrats and
Democrats
winning the governorship
Republicans exhausted and
not alienating the con-
depleted by primary races,
and the best while
servative GOP base.
she’s jumping into the spot-
“I don’t think she’s going
light with the largest war
ideas of
to be able to speak her mind,”
chest of all. Johnson has
Republicans Johnson said.
raised more than $8 million,
Kotek had been the front-
and currently has $5.3 mil-
so Oregon
runner for the nomination
lion in her campaign fund.
since announcing her can-
Her campaign has attracted
can get its
in September. Dem-
large contributions from
mojo back.” didacy
ocrats have been planning
what critics have called the
a counterattack on Johnson
“bulldozer and buzzsaw”
— Betsy Johnson
since well before Kotek’s pri-
industries — timber and
mary victory on May 17.
construction.
The largest amount —
‘Let Betsy be Betsy’
$1.75 million — has come from Nike
Oregonians for Ethics, a political
co-founder Phil Knight.
action committee that registered with the
Johnson’s fi rst campaign goal is to
Secretary of State in early February, has
gather at least 24,000 valid signatures to
submit to the secretary of state by Aug. 16. raised $195,000 to highlight Johnson’s
“We’ll blow by that number,” she said. votes against Democratic initiatives. The
largest contributor has been the Demo-
Middle ground
cratic Governor’s Conference, with a total
Johnson has sought to stake out the
of $65,000.
middle ground between what she called
Drazan has chafed at suggestions that
“the shrill voices of the left and right.”
if Johnson makes the ballot, the Repub-
She’s lined up endorsements from the
lican candidate could be nothing better
moderate wings of both the Democratic
than a spoiler for a Johnson victory over
and Republican party.
Kotek.
In April, Drazan told Willamette Week
She added Democratic former Gov. Ted
that Johnson’s break with the Democratic
Kulongoski and former U.S. Sen. Gordon
Party was an opportunistic move to take
Smith, R-Oregon, Friday, May 20. She’s
advantage of the fi rst election in which
backed by former Rep. Knute Buehler,
a governor or ex-governor wasn’t on the
R-Bend, who was the GOP nominee for
ballot since 2002.
governor in 2018, losing to Gov. Kate
“She could have been helping recruit
Brown in her last election.
and elect moderate Democrats all these
Johnson, 71, has straddled the polit-
years,” Drazan said.
ical divide for much of her life. Born in
Johnson says she won’t revise her poli-
Bend and raised in Redmond, her father,
tics to try to siphon more votes away from
Sam Johnson, was a prominent timber
industry business owner. He served seven Kotek or Drazan.
“Let Betsy be Betsy,” Johnson said.
terms in the House, as a Republican. He
“Let me get out and connect with regular
was mayor of Redmond at the time of his
people who are sick and tired of the status
death in 1984.
quo.”
After earning a law degree and com-
Drazan will be the only candidate who
mercial pilot’s licenses for both fi xed-
wing aircraft and helicopters, Johnson ran is against abortion rights running for gov-
ernor. That could cap Johnson’s appeal to
an aviation company that included fi re-
a large percentage of Republicans.
fi ghting aircraft.
The abortion issue could loom even
Like her father, she ran for the House,
larger due to an expected U.S. Supreme
winning election in 2000.
Unlike her father, she was a Democrat. Court ruling that would strike down the
landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling.
She moved to the Senate in 2005 and
Johnson said her position is “not
served until resigning to run for governor.
With the primary on Tuesday, she now negotiable.”
“I am unapologetically pro-choice,”
knows who her opponents will be if she
she said. “I disagree with everything
qualifi es for the ballot.
that Tina Kotek stands for except when it
Former House Speaker Tina Kotek,
comes to a woman’s right to choose.”
D-Portland, won the Democratic nomi-
Johnson said that the much discussed
nation. Former House Minority Leader
urban-rural divide is a problem for Dem-
Christine Drazan won the Republican
ocrats, whose center of political power is
nomination.
Johnson was often at odds with Kotek, Portland.
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