Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2020)
august6 2020 VERNONIA’S volume14 issue15 free reflecting the spirit of our community Vote-By Mail in Oregon: A Brief History Oregon was the first state to use Vote-By Mail in a Presidential election in 2000 By Scott Laird With CORVID-19 continuing to control how Americans can do just about everything in their daily lives, numerous states are considering how to safely and effectively hold elections on November 3. Fortunately for Oregonians, our state already solved this issue over two decades ago and has a sound system in place that allows voters to cast their bal- lots in a timely and convenient manner. Vote-By Mail (VBM) has had bi- partisan support in Oregon from the very beginning, and was initially championed by former Republican Secretary of State Norma Paulus, gained widespread use under Democratic Secretary of State Phil Keisling, and more recently had the sup- port of Republican Secretary of State Dennis Richardson and his Republican replacement Bev Clarno. Oregon began using VBM all the way back in 1981, when the Oregon Republican controlled Legislature ap- proved a test run in local elections under Paulus. In 1987 the Legislature made it permanent and most counties began using it for local and special elections. During the 1990s the Oregon Legislature failed twice to expand VBM to primary and general elections – in 1995 both the Republican controlled House and Senate passed it but it was vetoed by Democratic Governor John Kitzhauber, and in 1997 the House approved expansion but it died in the Republican controlled Senate. In 1998 supporters of expanding VBM to primary and general elections used the initiative process to put the issue on the November ballot and voters overwhelm- ingly approved the use of VBM by a vote of 757,204 to 334,021. inside 6 vrfpd promotions 8 bienvenido el amigo 9 old timers/alumni picnic canceled While Oregonians generally have high levels of participation in elec- tions compared to other states, VBM increased participation even more. Or- egonians used VBM for the first time in a Presidential election in 2000 and saw 79.8% turnout compared to a national average of 50.3%; turnout in Oregon in the 1996 election had been 71.3%, much higher than the national average of just 49%. In the 2002 November general election almost 69% of voters partici- pated, up from just under 59% four years earlier. In 2008 Oregon recorded over 85% participation in their November election, in 2012, 82.1%, and 79.4% par- ticipated in the most recent 2016 general election. Cost to hold elections have stayed stable under VBM, according to Oregon’s Secretary of State Office: the 1996 November Presidential election which was held at polling places cost the State of Oregon $1.72 per voter and $2.42 per vote cast; in 2000 costs to use VBM for the first time were similar: $1.82 per voter and $2.29 per vote cast. Oregon voters receive their bal- lots about two weeks prior to the elec- tion, along with the state generated Vot- er’s Pamphlet, which allows them time to research candidates and issues and seek out additional information before casting their vote. Oregon voters do not need to take time off from work in order to vote, do not have to stand in lines, and VBM makes it easier for the handicapped and senior citizens to participate in the elec- tion process. Oregon’s VBM system cre- ates a verifiable paper trail and signatures are rigorously checked. Since Oregon started using VBM exclusively in 2000, four other states have joined them: Colorado, Hawaii, Utah and Washington now conducted their elections using a Vote-By Mail system. California, Nevada, Montana, and New Jersey allow voters to permanently re- quest a VBM ballot, and 11 other states use VBM in certain elections, including Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska, North Dako- ta, and Kansas. All states allow voters to request an absentee ballot and vote by mail in some circumstances, and 16 states require voters to provide a reason before their application for an absentee ballot is approved. There are several concerns that have been raised about VBM, which have mostly been proven to be unfound- ed. An April 2020 study conducted by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research found that, “...expand- ing vote-by-mail does not appear to in- crease the vote share for candidates of either political party. Taken together, the researchers say their findings essen- tially dispel concerns that mail-in vot- ing would cause a major electoral shift toward one party.” Another concern – that VBM leads to voter fraud has mostly been disproved by the Heritage Foundation, continued on page 3 New Senior Center/Vernonia Cares Opening Delayed The long-awaited move into the new Senior Center and Vernonia Cares food pantry building has been delayed due to last-minute challenges with logistics and some administrative details. The Vernonia City Council ap- proved a lease agreement with both or- ganizations at their August 3 meeting. same week. Senior Center activities will gradually begin in the Birken- feld Room with small group activities. Congregate meals cannot be served in Columbia County senior centers until the county is in Phase 3 of CO- VID-19 rules. Watch for updates and announcements about food pantry ser- vice, the grand opening of the building, Home delivered meals will continue to come from local restau- rants for another week, but service from the new kitchen should begin the week of August 10 th . Vernonia Cares food pantry also hopes to begin serv- ing clients from its new facility that takeout meals for seniors, and small group activities. The senior center thrift store, Bargains on Bridge Street, will not move into the new building, but re- main in its current location at 939 Bridge Street. Vernonia Schools’ Plan for Reopening Still Uncertain The Vernonia School District’s plan for reopening this fall remains unclear due to COVID-19 restrictions says Superintendent Aaron Miller. After announcing plans to re- open under a mix of on-site and dis- tance learning at their July 9 School Board meeting, plans have had to shift again following Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s announcement of state- wide guidelines that must be met for three successive weeks before schools will be allowed to have students attend for classroom instruction. “The Governor laid every- thing out and it’s almost impossible for anyone to have on-site learning, except maybe for K-3 students,” said Miller in an interview on Monday, Au- gust 3. “We’re going to try and get as many students into the building as pos- sible while following all the safety and physical distancing requirements that need to be in place.” Governor Brown announced Oregon’s school opening guidelines on July 28, which require each county to have 10 or fewer cases per 100,000 residents over seven days, with the countywide and state test positiv- ity rate at 5% or less over the span of the week. Currently, Oregon does not meet that standard; in recent weeks case rates across the state were about 50 per 100,000, with the positivity rate approaching 5%. Another big question for families and communities is whether fall sports will be able to take place. Miller said he was expecting an update from the state concerning fall sports on Wednesday, August 5. Miller said the District has purchased Chromebooks for every stu- dent so all students will be able to do schoolwork from home. Miller also said he is working with Northwest Re- gional Education Service District and Verizon to provide service for any stu- dent that does not have internet access at home. “It’s necessary for us to do this so we can meet everyone’s needs, be equitable, and make the system work,” said Miller. The first day of school in Ver- nonia has been pushed back to Septem- ber 14. “That gives us two full weeks with teachers and staff to plan for our new programs and be as prepared as we can to start the year,” said Mill- er. “We’ll be watching those rolling, three-week numbers as we get closer to our opening date. We could be in a better spot by then. Things could also be worse by then. Our number one pri- ority is to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of our students in the safest manner possible.”