NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Oregon will accept ballots mailed by Election Day under new bill
Supporters say
HB 3291 will create
less confusion
about when ballots
can be mailed
By DIRK
VANDERHART
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — Beginning
next year, Oregon voters will
be able to drop their ballot
in the mail on Election Day
without worrying it will be
rejected, under a bill that has
passed the state Legislature.
House Bill 3291 cleared
the state Senate on a razor-
thin 16-13 margin Thursday,
June 24, with one reluctant
Democrat allowing the bill to
pass despite his misgivings.
The bill passed the House of
Representatives last month.
If signed by Gov. Kate
Brown, HB 3291 would
ensure ballots are accepted
as long as they’re postmarked
on or before Election Day,
and reach elections officials
within a week of the election.
Under current law, ballots
are only counted if they have
been received by 8 p.m. on
Election Day.
The bill also would allow
county clerks to begin count-
ing ballots when they’re
received, rather than waiting
until a week before an elec-
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
Boxes of ballots await counting at the Umatilla County Elections office in Pendleton on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Oregon voters
starting in 2021 will be able to drop their ballots in the mail on Election Day and still have their votes count.
tion. It would also change
some dates related to elec-
tions.
Lawmakers have repeat-
edly considered changing
Oregon’s pioneering vote-
by-mail system to account
for postmarks — a move that
California, Washington and
other states have taken. But
the Legislature has balked at
the move in the past, includ-
ing in 2001, when many
Democrats opposed the bill.
This year, the concept’s
support came almost solely
from Democrats, who say
that the practice will elimi-
nate confusion about when
a ballot can be safely mailed
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
SUNDAY
| Go to AccuWeather.com
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
and still count.
The bill “will provide
more access to voting by
mail, while also protecting
the integrity of our elections
system,” Senate Majority
Leader Rob Wagner, D-Lake
Oswego, said on the Senate
floor.
But Senate Republicans
disagreed, insisting again
and again that the bill would
provide a “highway for
fraud.” Much of that concern
centered on a provision in
the new bill that would allow
mailed ballots to be counted if
an error in the postal system
meant a postmark is missing
or not legible.
Republicans in both cham-
bers have argued that provi-
sion could lead to gaming the
system. But Democrats have
countered that ballots require
a voter’s signature, which
would double as an attesta-
tion, under penalty of perjury,
that it was mailed on or before
Election Day.
Republicans also worried
about the provision allowing
ballots to be counted earlier,
saying that would allow early
returns to leak.
“This bill has problems,”
said Senate Minority Leader
Fred Girod, R-Lyons, who
unsuccessfully pushed a
modified version on the floor.
“It needed to be fixed.”
One key lawmaker nearly
agreed. During a roll call
vote, state Sen. Lee Beyer,
D-Springf ield, did not
initially answer when his
name was called. He voted
yes, it appeared, when it
became clear that his vote
would be necessary for the
bill to pass.
“I reluctantly voted for
this today,” Beyer said after
the vote. “My concern is, in
close races ... that delaying
the returns for a week or two
afterward will undermine
faith in the system. I hope I’m
wrong.”
The governor’s office did
not answer an inquiry about
whether Brown would sign
the bill.
Your chances of winning Oregon’s
vaccination jackpot? 1 in 2.2M
By AIMEE GREEN
The Oregonian
Very hot
Record-breaking
temperatures
Record-breaking
temperatures
Record-breaking
temperatures
Record-tying
temperatures
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
106° 66°
110° 72°
111° 77°
111° 77°
108° 70°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
107° 71°
110° 72°
114° 74°
114° 76°
OREGON FORECAST
111° 72°
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
93/68
97/65
108/72
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
105/74 Lewiston
103/70
109/76
Astoria
80/63
Pullman
Yakima 108/75
100/66
105/70
Portland
Hermiston
106/75
The Dalles 107/71
Salem
Corvallis
97/68
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
100/62
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
104/67
98/61
96/65
Ontario
100/70
Caldwell
Burns
97°
70°
83°
55°
105° (1992) 40° (1966)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Albany
100/69
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
105/73
0.00"
0.23"
0.52"
1.93"
1.61"
5.63"
WINDS (in mph)
96/71
95/58
0.00"
0.28"
0.99"
4.31"
8.55"
7.50"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 91/62
105/72
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
106/66
110/75
92°
67°
82°
54°
105° (1925) 35° (1904)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
99/66
Aberdeen
100/71
106/76
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
98/71
Today
Sun.
NE 6-12
NNE 4-8
ENE 6-12
ENE 4-8
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
96/59
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
5:07 a.m.
8:49 p.m.
11:06 p.m.
6:58 a.m.
Last
New
First
Full
July 1
July 9
July 17
July 23
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 109° in Thermal, Calif. Low 33° in Gothic, Colo.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
SALEM — What are the
odds of winning Oregon’s $1
million vaccination lottery
drawing on Monday, June
28? With roughly 2.2 million
adults vaccinated in Oregon
so far, it’s one in 2.2 million.
In other words, you have a
better chance of getting struck
by lightning — 1 in 500,000
in any given year, according
to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
The prizes — $1 million,
three dozen $10,000 awards,
five $100,000 college schol-
arships and a smattering
of cash prizes in a limited
number of counties — are
only available to Oregonians
who’ve received at least one
shot of COVID-19 vaccine by
11:59 p.m. June 27.
Winners are expected to be
announced in the first week
of July.
The odds get a lot more
interesting when it comes to
the state’s $10,000 prizes.
Oregon will award $10,000
to one person for each of its
36 counties — regardless of
the county’s population size.
That means up until recently
the odds of pocketing $10,000
were the best in Oregon’s
smallest county — Wheeler,
population 1,440 — where
one lucky person out of about
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
Pendleton High School student Scott Train, right, watches
as Specialist Stephanie Gonzalez, of the Oregon National
Guard, administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19
vaccine during a vaccination clinic for high school students
at Wildhorse Resort & Casino on March 17, 2021.
600 vaccinated adults will
take home the prize.
In recent days, however, 11
other Oregon counties have
added to the prizes offered to
their residents, using millions
of dollars of federal corona-
virus money allocated by the
vaccination rollout. Now the
chances of pocketing some
significant cash are best in
Gilliam County, population
1,990, where 11 of approxi-
mately 676 vaccinated adults
will win $10,000 each.
“I’d say your odds of
winning $10,000 are excel-
lent,” said Patrick Johnson, a
spokesperson for the Oregon
Lottery, which is assisting
the governor’s office and the
Oregon Health Authority in
randomly drawing winners.
But the odds look consid-
erably less impressive in
Oregon’s largest county —
Multnomah — where county
officials aren’t supplementing
the state’s prizes with more
awards. More than 470,000
adults in the county have
received at least one dose of
vaccine. You guessed it: That
puts residents’ chances of
taking home the cash at about
1 in 470,000.
The odds are approximate
because state officials don’t
publish the precise county-
by-county numbers of resi-
dents 18 and older who’ve
been inoculated.
IN BRIEF
Company linked to LDS
church high bidder for
Easterday ranch
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
0s
showers t-storms
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
snow
40s
ice
50s
60s
cold front
E AST O REGONIAN
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
70s
East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday,
by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals
postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to
East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801.
Copyright © 2021, EO Media Group
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high low
Circulation Dept.
For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops
or delivery concerns call 800-781-3214
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211
333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed major holidays
EastOregonian.com
In the App Store:
80s
KENNEWICK — Farmland Reserve
Inc., the real estate company of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, submitted
the high bid of $209 million for the Easter-
day ranch properties in Eastern Washington,
topping a company linked to Bill Gates.
The winning bid, which must be approved
by a judge, was reported Monday, June 21, to
the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Eastern Wash-
ington.
Gates’ company, Delaware-based 100C
LLC, bid $208 million, according to court
records.
Farmland Reserve plans to acquire East-
erday properties in Benton County, Washing-
ADVERTISING
Regional Sales Director (Eastside) EO Media Group:
• Karrine Brogoitti
541-963-3161 • kbrogoitti@eomediagroup.com
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Multimedia Consultants:
Local home
delivery
Savings
(cover price)
$10.75/month
50 percent
541-564-4531 • kschwirse@eastoregonian.com
52 weeks
$135
42 percent
• Audra Workman
26 weeks
$71
39 percent
541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com
13 weeks
$37
36 percent
Business Office
EZPay
Single copy price:
$1.50 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
• Kelly Schwirse
• Dayle Stinson
541-966-0824 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com
ton, commonly known as Goose Gap Farm,
River Farm, Cox Farm and Farm Manager
House.
Cody Easterday and his wife and mother
declared bankruptcy in February as he faced
charges of defrauding Tyson Foods and
another company of $244 million by billing
the companies for nonexistent cattle.
Easterday, 49, pleaded guilty March
31 to one count of wire fraud. He faces up
to 20 years in prison. He is scheduled to be
sentenced Aug. 4 in the U.S. District Court
for Eastern Washington.
Easterday’s grandfather founded the ranch
and farm in 1959.
The auction was conducted June 17 via
video conference and was limited to five qual-
ified bidders.
— EO Media Group
Classified & Legal Advertising
1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678
classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
NEWS
• To submit news tips and press releases:
call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com
• To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News:
email community@eastoregonian.com or call Renee Struthers
at 541-966-0818.
• To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries:
email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit eastoregonian.
com/community/announcements
• To submit sports or outdoors information or tips:
541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com
COMMERCIAL PRINTING
Commercial Print Manager: Holly Rouska
541-617-7839 • hrouska@eomediagroup.com