Primary Election Ballots Due in a Week

Ballots for the May primary election are due at county clerks’ offices in a week.

For people in Deschutes County, there are drop-off sites at the county clerk’s office at 1300 Wall Street or at the Deschutes County Road Department building on 27th Street. Voters in Redmond and Sisters can submit their ballots at the city halls.

For voters in Crook County, you can drop it off at the Crook County Courthouse or the Library.

The post office in Post is another ballot drop-off site.

Jefferson County voters can drop their ballots off at the Jefferson County Courthouse, Crooked River Ranch and at the Culver City Hall.

To see a full list on the most convenient one for you, go to www.oregon-votes.org

Now, some of you might be undecided on who to vote for.

Others might be struggling just to get their ballot in.

The Crook County Clerk’s Office is helping to make it a little easier for disabled voters through the use of an iPad.

The secretary of state and local county clerks’ offices have been trying to make voting a little easier for people with disabilities.

It started five years ago with a lot of equipment — large-screen computers, touch pads, joysticks and earphones.

“They were very large, very heavy and extremely cumbersome — and really complex to use,” Crook County Clerk Dee Berman said Tuesday.

Now they’re trying to simplify the process, and it’s just with a click of a few buttons on an iPad.

“Hopefully, this will be something that will be easier for people to ask about,” Berman said.

Using the iPad, voters can bring up the ballot and tap the screen to pick a candidate or ballot measure.

“It will be really popular, especially for people who are sight impaired or physical disabilities who can’t mark a ballot easily,” Berman said.

And the nice thing for voters with poor vision is you can adjust the font size and screen color — or even have the computer read the ballot out loud.

“If your sight-impaired, you are already accustomed probably to using that kind of technology so your going to be able to use it,” Berman said.

After you have made sure you have clicked the right buttons, you then print the completed ballot, place it in a return envelope and deposit it with the county clerk.

“I could maneuver through it and I found what I wanted to find,” Berman said. “I think that will be the way most people are with this, because it really is user-friendly.”

The technology is available in all 36 Oregon counties..

But you can also access the ballot on your home computer or your own smartphone or tablet at the Website: https://oregon.everyonecounts.com.