Secretary of State Clarno issues statement on mail balloting, USPS letter

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- On July 31, Secretary of State Bev Clarno received a letter from the United States Postal Service general counsel, as did elections officials across the country (see attachment).

In light of the letter and a number of questions and concerns about how this may affect vote by mail, the Secretary has issued the following statement:

“Fortunately, Oregon has two decades of experience working with our local contacts at the United States Postal Service and has an excellent partnership with them to ensure ongoing support for our elections. We will of course continue to work with them and monitor any potential impact to both the mailing out of ballots to voters and the return of ballots. We at the state level are meeting with our USPS partners to ensure we are ready for November. The USPS recognizes that Oregon leads the nation with Vote by Mail and that we are using the latest USPS technology to streamline the process.

If any Oregon voter is concerned about the upcoming election, there are multiple steps they can take to ensure their ballot is received in time to be counted. Every ballot has a unique bar code so voters can track their ballot on our My Vote website. We also encourage voters to take advantage of the hundreds of conveniently located drop sites throughout the state to drop off their ballot in person. We will continue to work with our partners, like county clerks across the state to make sure all Oregonians know the best options to return their ballots, whether it’s through the mail or in secure drop boxes to meet election deadlines.”