NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A13
Absentee ballot rules block some
voters from state and local races
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
When Bonnie Ducic got
her ballot in the mail, she
thought there must be some
mistake.
Ducic has been a mission-
ary in Croatia for about 20
years, but as a United States
citizen she can still request
an absentee ballot from
Umatilla County, where
she uses her parents’ home
in Hermiston as her perma-
nent stateside address. In the
past, Ducic has been able to
vote in local and statewide
elections, she said. But this
time when she got her bal-
lot, all races except the fed-
eral ones had been crossed
out with a black marker.
“It was a shock to see it
that way,” she said.
In Oregon, when resi-
dents overseas request an
absentee ballot, they fi ll out
a form that gives them sev-
eral options to describe their
current status. One of those
options states, “I am a U.S.
citizen living outside the
country, and my return is
uncertain.”
Kim Lindell, Umatilla
County elections manager,
said in an email that Oregon
citizens who choose that
option are only eligible to
vote in federal races, which
is why Ducic received a
ballot with the other races
crossed out.
Ducic says she didn’t do
anything different for this
elections from past elec-
tions; Lindell says records
show she recently changed
her status to “indefi nite.”
Either way, Ducic said she
feels she should be able to
vote in local races even if
she doesn’t know exactly
when she might return to the
United States.
“If my vote is important
enough that I’m allowed to
vote federal, why is it not
important enough for me to
vote state and county?” she
LANES
DESERT
Bonnie Ducic/Contributed Photo
Bonnie Ducic submitted this photo of the absentee ballot she
requested while living in Croatia.
said.
She said she previously
lived in Multnomah County,
but since she went overseas
has kept up on local pol-
itics through discussions
with her parents, and hopes
to come back and live in the
Hermiston area sometime in
the future.
“When I return, that’s
kind of where I hope to
move, so I feel like it’s kind
of a responsibility to keep
up with what’s going on
and help the community be
somewhere where I would
want to return to,” she said.
While all voting in Ore-
gon is done by mail instead
of in-person polling sta-
tions, residents who will be
in another state or another
country when ballots are
mailed out can request an
absentee ballot be mailed to
a different location.
Voters who are serving in
the military or living over-
seas must use the Federal
Absentee Ballot Request
Form, found at www.fvap.
gov. Those who will be
inside the territorial United
States — college students
attending an out-of-state
school, for example — can
fi ll out the state absentee
ballot form, found at www.
oregonvotes.gov.
Lindell said overseas
and military ballots usually
go out 45 days prior to the
election. Out-of-state absen-
tee ballots go out 30 days
prior to the election, while
all other types of ballots
are sent out between 20 and
seven days before the elec-
tion, which this year falls on
Nov. 3.
According to the Ore-
gon Secretary of State’s
website, overseas and mil-
itary voters can mail their
ballots to the county elec-
ARE SAFE,
BOWLING WE SANITIZED
AND
IS BACK! READY TO ROLL!
tions offi ce where their bal-
lot came from, but it must
be received, not just post-
marked, by 8 p.m. on elec-
tion night. Because inter-
national mail times can be
unreliable, overseas and
military voters also have an
option of submitting their
signed ballot via fax or
email if they also submit a
“secret ballot waiver form”
acknowledging that send-
ing the ballot in that way
does not give them the same
level of secrecy that a sealed
envelope would.
Lindell encouraged any-
one with questions about
their ballot or registration to
contact the county elections
offi ce at 541-278-6254 or
elections@umatillacounty.
net.
“Our offi ce goes to great
lengths to get ballots in
the hands of every eligible
voter,” she said.
Ducic encouraged peo-
ple to vote, and said the
reason she is disappointed
about only being able to
vote for the federal races
this time around is because
it is important for everyone
to have a voice.
“Of course everyone has
a right to vote whatever
their personal preference is,
but we can’t complain about
the state of the place that we
live in if we aren’t trying to
effect change,” she said.
BRIEFS
Turkey Shoot fundraiser benefi ts Hermiston
High School golf team
The 16th annual Bob Brinkley Memorial Turkey Shoot
fundraiser golf tournament is accepting team and individ-
ual entries for its Saturday, Nov. 21, event held at Big
River Golf Course, 709 Willamette St., Umatilla.
The tournament begins with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start
for all teams.
The four-person scramble format tournament costs
$50 per person, which includes greens fees but not cart
rental. Teams are asked to sign up with the names and
handicaps (or average score) of each team member, and
individuals entering are requested to indicate a preferred
foursome.
Payment can be made by check when dropping off the
entry form, or by credit/debit card the day of the tourna-
ment at the golf course.
Those wishing to reserve a cart should call the golf
course at 541-922-3006 by Nov. 13.
Entry forms are available from tournament directors
Pat Kerrigan (541-571-0166) and Josh Browning (541-
720-4542), and completed forms can be mailed to HHS
Golf Association, 600 S. First St., Hermiston, OR 97838
or dropped off at the golf course.
Proceeds from the tournament benefi t the Hermiston
High School golf team.
Holiday bazaar includes fundraiser for Irrigon
Fire Department’s Holiday Basket Program
A holiday bazaar and fundraiser is planned for Satur-
day, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Irrigon Plaza, next
to Irrigon City Hall, 500 N.E. Main Ave.
The bazaar will feature more than 30 vendors and offer
a variety of holiday gift ideas. Masks will be required and
social distancing protocols will be observed.
Nonperishable food and cash donations also will be
accepted for the Irrigon Fire Department’s Holiday Bas-
ket Program.
People who are interested in being a vendor, or those
wanting more information, can call Irrigon City Manager
Aaron Palmquist at 541-922-3047 or email manager@
ci.irrigon.or.us.
Medicare open enrollment has started
The open enrollment period for Medicare patients
started Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7. The period is the
only opportunity to change coverage.
Good Shepherd Health Care System is offering free,
confi dential appointments with trained consultants who
can help patients shop for the right plan or enroll for the
fi rst time. To request an appointment call 541-667-3509.
TAMÁSTSLIKT CULTURAL INSTITUTE
We’ve Reopened!
We have opened the Museum Store
and Kinship Café for limited hours,
Tuesday through Saturday, 11am-2pm.
The permanent exhibits are not open.
Kinship Café is offering take-out
orders only, with a limited menu.
Call 541.429.7702 to have your
order ready upon arrival.
Please note that safety measures will be in force
with masks and social distancing required.
We look forward to seeing everyone again!
ANT
RESTA O U U R NGE
& L
Museum Store, Kinship Café Only
Open limited hours: Tues-Sat, 11am-2pm
Exhibits remain closed
Pendleton, OR | www.tamastslikt.org | 541.429.7700
$75
PER
FAMILY
*90 MINUTES OF BOWLING
*SHOE RENTAL
*ONE LARGE PIZZA OF CHOICE
*PITCHER OF SODA
*SIX $5 ARCADE CARDS
*ONE GOODIE BAG PER PERSON
(PACKAGE IS GOOD FOR UP TO SIX PEOPLE)
1ST SESSION
6PM-7:30PM
2ND SESSION
8:00PM-9:30PM
SIGN UP NOW!
RESERVATIONS
REQUIRED
SATURDAY
OCT. 31
ARCADE
GAMES
TOO!!
Fun
the en for
family tire
!!