ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Voters need
to remain
engaged in
legislative
activity
T
he Oregon Legislature is poised to
approve yet another gun mandate
and while the battle lines over such
issues are clearly drawn, the real lesson
for voters is they must remain involved
and watchful the actions of their elected
lawmaker.
Late last month, the Oregon Senate voted
to approve a bill to eliminate guns caried
by concealed handgun licensees from state
buildings.
The new bill — House Bill 2510 — will
require the storage of firearms with trigger of
cable locks inside a locked container or gun
room.
Input on the bill is, as expected, evenly
divided. That may be the only positive
element to this piece of legislation — there is
no ambiguity about how people feel about it.
It is difficult to see how such a bill —
which essentially reaches into a resident’s
private home — will withstand a court chal-
lenge on at least two specific constitutional
pillars, but chances are it will gain approval.
Anti-gun bills and other pieces of legisla-
tion that tackle cultural flashpoint issues are
going to be the norm going into the future
and that means every voter must do all they
can to stay appraised of the ambitions and
workings of their elected leaders.
In this day and age that is no easy task.
Especially with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the past there was a robust system —
including the media and other watchdog
groups — that keep citizens informed about
legislative action. The media landscape,
though has changed. The number of report-
ers that cover the Oregon Capitol isn’t as
large as it once was and that can be traced to
economics. That means it is up to every voter
to ensure they are following what is going on
at the Legislature.
Thankfully, there are paths to keep up to
tabs on our lawmakers. The internet is proba-
bly the easiest way to do so, and the Oregon
Legislature’s website is very informative
and offers a list of bills that can be easily
accessed.
The world is a bigger place now. Stories,
events, are occurring all the time and often
take center stage over what can be viewed as
boring news out of a legislative session.
But it isn’t boring. At least not when it
comes to certain pieces of legislation that can
impact us all. That is why it is so important
that voters stay informed and remain focused
on what is going on at the Legislature.
EDITORIALS
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East
Oregonian editorial board. Other columns,
letters and cartoons on this page express the
opinions of the authors and not necessarily
that of the East Oregonian.
LETTERS
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters
of 400 words or less on public issues and public
policies for publication in the newspaper and on
our website. The newspaper reserves the right
to withhold letters that address concerns about
individual services and products or letters that
infringe on the rights of private citizens. Letters
must be signed by the author and include the
city of residence and a daytime phone number.
The phone number will not be published.
Unsigned letters will not be published.
SEND LETTERS TO:
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
Redistricting process is at the heart of democracy
DANIEL
WATTENBURGER
HOMEGROWN
I
t’s not a bad thing that we’re talking
about election systems in the spring of
an off-election year, even if the tenor of
the discussion is (unsurprisingly) decidedly
partisan.
The calmer times between elections are
a good opportunity for a status check to
review the most recent voting season and
prepare for the next. It’s also a time for any
investigation into election fraud, which
to date has been used as a bogeyman and
rallying cry without the backing of credible
evidence.
If any proof arises that elections were
tampered with or our systems are vulner-
able, we should all demand a response.
But we should also be wary of those who
continually float conspiracy theories about
widespread fraud and hacked systems
without being able to offer up more than
suggestions of malfeasance.
The reason we’re talking more generally
about elections now is because of recent
legislation passed in Georgia and the redis-
tricting process here in Oregon. In Geor-
gia, where Republicans control the state
Legislature and secretary of state’s office,
Democrats are concerned about allowing
the Legislature to have stronger influence
on election systems.
The new Georgia election law comes
with a host of measures with the stated
purpose of protecting against fraud and
expanding voter access. It’s hard to take
that description at face value, as most of
YOUR VIEWS
When the going gets
tough, Wolfe steps up
Serving on the Umatilla Electric Coop-
erative Board of Directors is not a glamor-
ous job. But it’s an important one.
Bryan Wolfe and the other directors
have helped find the opportunities hidden
within a challenging year. Our region has
felt the effects of the COVID-19 and the
UEC board has responded by making sure
members have utilities and financial assis-
tance, creating a business-friendly envi-
ronment, and keeping electric rates low.
True leadership is tested during an
emergency, and Bryan has shown his
character and ability as he has helped
guide UEC through 2020. As we recover
from this difficult year, we need leaders
like Bryan to continue to put the needs
of the community first and find creative
ways to serve members.
Please join me in voting for Bryan
Wolfe for Umatilla Electric Cooperative
District 3 director.
Steve Wallace
Hermiston
CTUIR appreciated
for vaccine generosity
On behalf of the faculty, staff, and
students at Blue Mountain Community
College, we would like to express our
utmost appreciation and gratitude to the
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation for making the COVID-19
vaccine available to the entire BMCC
community through Yellowhawk Tribal
the provisions make the act of voting more
complicated and includes strange provi-
sions like prohibiting giving food and water
to people standing in line to vote. It also
takes some power of election oversight
from the secretary of state and gives it to
the Legislature.
In Oregon, where Democrats control
the state Legislature and secretary of state’s
office, Republicans are concerned about the
redistricting process that will determine the
layout of the Legislature and congressional
representation for the next decade.
To be fair, in Oregon everyone is
concerned about redistricting — or should
be. The delays in census returns mean the
decennial process will be abbreviated,
potentially skipping the Legislature entirely
and moving directly to the secretary of
state.
Election integrity and voter access
are fundamental principles that create
a framework for democracy. If we can’t
agree on the rules, and extend some trust
to one another, we won’t have faith in the
outcomes.
It starts with a level playing field. That
means giving each voter a voice in the
process and ensuring their ability to exer-
cise that voice.
Voting districts are intended to group
citizens into areas of common interest. This
doesn’t mean by political affiliation, and
the prime examples of gerrymandering
have been created by drawing lines around
partisan voting blocks. There are a few fun
simulators online that show how easy it is to
turn a slim political advantage into a secure
majority or spread influence across multiple
districts to dilute a party’s strength.
Because Oregon is poised to receive a
sixth congressional seat, the district-draw-
ing process will affect not just Oregon’s
representation but the balance of the U.S.
House of Representatives. And how that
influence is distributed among individual
voters is highly important. This is on top of
the 60 House and 30 Senate districts in the
Oregon Legislature that will be redrawn.
As it stands, legislators won’t be able
to fulfill their duty of drawing these new
district maps by July 1 because they won’t
have the updated U.S. Census data by then.
Legislative leaders are working to find a
compromise that allows their input before
the process is constitutionally passed to
the secretary of state. But regardless of the
outcome, the development of new districts
will be hurried ahead of the 2022 election
cycle.
There’s only so much we can do now,
awaiting new population tallies and dealing
with pressing matters like COVID-19 and
wildfire recovery. But this is a good time
to again reevaluate the balance of power
between our elected legislators and our
electorate in general.
We all benefit by clean and clear district
maps. Allowing partisan politics to skew
the creation of those maps in either direc-
tion erodes faith in the process and stifles
voter turnout. Oregon is a blue state, but it
hasn’t always been and likely won’t always
be. The only way to make sure Orego-
nians — not political parties — are the ones
setting the direction is to protect the redis-
tricting process.
———
Daniel Wattenburger is the former
managing editor of the East Oregonian. He
lives in Hermiston with his wife and chil-
dren and is an account manager for Pac/
West Lobby Group. Contact him at daniel-
wattenburger@gmail.com.
LETTERS DEADLINE FOR MAY 18 ELECTIONS
The East Oregonian does not run endorsements of more than 400 words.
The East Oregonian will institute a deadline for letters to the editor, so we can be fair
with all the letters we receive and allow for responses before Election Day, if necessary.
We run the letters on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please submit your endorsement letters to the editor by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 7. You
can email them to editor@eastoregonian.com, or mail them to East Oregonian, c/o
Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, OR 97801.
We will publish our last letters on Saturday, May 15. Any letters received after the dead-
line will not run. Election Day is May 18.
Health Center.
BMCC is committed to providing a
safe environment for our faculty, staff
and students. The CTUIR’s generosity in
providing access to the COVID-19 vaccine
puts us on the path to resume regular
on-site operations and programming so
that we may continue to serve the students
and communities of Eastern Oregon.
BMCC values its relationship with the
CTUIR and is grateful for their leadership.
Thank you.
Jane Hill, chair
Blue Mountain Community College
Board of Education
Diesel bill would hurt,
not help, Oregon
House Bill 3305 is a, as usual, poorly
thought out bill that will help destroy agri-
culture business and farming in Oregon.
As well, it will divert the traveling recre-
ation public away from Oregon.
How would the public from other states
get diesel fuel for their vehicles, which is
not a progressive move in the other states?
How does the amount of “renewable
diesel” necessary to cover the total agri-
culture and timber harvest get in the pipe-
line? At what cost does this come? Again,
only the largest companies might survive.
Looks like another one of those good
deals that only benefit the legislatures on
the take and big businesses.
How is Oregon going to explain to all
the owners of diesel-powered vehicles
that their car or truck is now not worth
anything more than scrap and replac-
ing it will cost them around $80,000 for
another vehicle capable of towing or
hauling heavy and large loads? The guy
that proposed this bill might compare the
additional pollutants resulting from vehi-
cles that get much poorer fuel economy.
Perhaps he and the progressives might
better spend their time figuring out how to
house all the new immigrants and finding
them jobs. I believe the state retirement
issue could take up some of the “nothing
to do but screw Oregon energies.”
Rather than trying to dream up things
that have no benefit to the public, they
should wake up and try to be as produc-
tive as the hard-working public. Make
America great and save Oregon from
eating itself alive.
Rich Weaver
Milton-Freewater