Dispute over Oregon GOP robocalls to voters deepens

A dispute between Oregon Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins and Republican Party about the nature of robocalls to “inactive” voters widened Saturday as Atkins fired back — and the state Democratic Party joined in, demanding the GOP release the list of targeted voters and for state and federal officials to investigate..

Here’s Atkins’ Saturday statement, followed by the Democrats, earlier ones from the GOP and the initial statement by Atkins:

SALEM: Secretary Jeanne P. Atkins released the following statement today following reports Thursday and Friday from Oregonians about robocalls.

“I respect the work of every political party and campaign doing outreach to Oregonians to help ensure they exercise their right to vote. Sometimes, however, this outreach includes automated phone calls, and we have heard from many, many Oregonians confused and unhappy about the calls they received this week.

“The Oregon Republican Party has acknowledged that they arranged for making certain robocalls on a county by county basis. However, the investigation is ongoing given conflicting reports of the scripts used and callers reached.

“Political parties and campaigns are entitled to use voter outreach, including phone calls to “inactive” voters encouraging them to reactivate their registration, to make sure voters understand how to vote. However, if outdated lists are used, this practice can cause confusion and alarm, which may result in voters feeling disenfranchised. .

“Robocalls are particularly prone to create confusion, since questions about the message can’t be directed to the caller. Even the most carefully constructed message can be misunderstood, as was the case for many voters who contacted elections officials in recent days.

“As we continue looking into this matter, we urge all campaigns to use the most up-to-date information possible when contacting Oregonians. The Elections Division is available to work with campaigns and parties from across the spectrum to make sure they have the most accurate information available.

“No matter what your affiliation, I hope every eligible Oregonian takes advantage of their right to vote this election. Your vote is your voice, and every vote matters.”

Secretary Atkins asked Oregonians to remember these facts:

If you have received your ballot, you are registered to vote. If your ballot is received at a county elections office or official ballot drop box by 8 p.m. Tuesday, it will be counted. If you have cast your ballot already, either by mail or at a drop box, your vote will be counted. If you are an inactive registered voter, you must reactivate your registration before 8 p.m. on Election Night to receive your ballot. Some calls erroneously state that Oregon Motor Voter may cause people to become inactive. In fact, Oregon Motor Voter uses address updates to reactivate registered voters. To learn more about Oregon Motor Voter, please visit http://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Documents/oregon-motor-voter-registration-manual-final.pdf.

Check oregonvotes.gov/myvote if you have not yet received a ballot to see if your registration is inactive. If so, contact your county clerk by Election Day to get reactivated and receive your ballot.

And finally, no matter your choices, PLEASE VOTE!

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PORTLAND, OR – Today , the Democratic Party of Oregon demanded that the Oregon Republican Party cease its misleading robo calls and release the list of voters targeted by the calls to the Oregon Secretary of State, the Oregon Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Justice to evaluate for possible illegal acts, including voter suppression, and to determine a timely remedy recognizing the election is in just four days.

Democratic Party of Oregon Chair Frank Dixon released the following statement:

“The Oregon Republican Party claims these robo calls were targeted at ‘inactive’ Republican voters. Yet, at this early stage we already know of Non-Affiliated and Democratic voters, one a member of the Oregon press corps, who received these misleading robo calls. In addition, we know County Election Officials across Oregon have been contacted by large numbers of ‘active’ voters who’ve received the Republican robo calls and are concerned about their right to vote.

“For the Oregon Republican Party to tell ‘active voters’ that they’re ‘inactive voters,’ and thus, may not qualify to vote, is no small error and could clearly interfere with an active voter’s perceived right to vote, and their belief that they can vote. This is clearly voter suppression.

“Not only that, multiple recorded versions of Oregon Republican Party robo calls do not include language identifying the Oregon Republican Party as the source of the call – which is required by law. To not include this disclaimer is not only deceptive, it’s outrageous.

“The Oregon Republican Party’s misleading robo calls, if not highly illegal, are grossly reckless and irresponsible, and we demand immediate action.

“Because of these facts, the extreme importance of protecting voter rights, and the short four days to remedy this matter, we demand that the Oregon Republican Party stop making these robo calls and release the list of voters targeted with calls to the Oregon Secretary of State, the Oregon Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Justice to evaluate for possible illegal acts, including voter suppression, and to determine a timely remedy for this troubling effort.

“In the midst of this situation, it is morally reprehensible that the Oregon Republican Party Chairman–in a Donald Trump-style press statement released in the middle of night – would attack our Secretary of State with claims that she is suppressing voters. The Secretary of State is doing her job and protecting the rights of Oregonians. It is the Oregon Republican Party suppressing the rights of voters, and their late night attack draws their actions into further doubt.

“To be absolutely clear, if a voter has received a ballot in the mail, that voter is registered to vote, and if a person has voted already or if they vote by Tuesday at 8 p.m., their vote will count. The Democratic Party encourages everyone to exercise their right to vote and not be fooled by Republican efforts to suppress the vote.”

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Oregon Republican Party Chairman Bill Currier issued this statement late Friday clarifying the state party’s efforts to reactivate inactive Republican voters across Oregon.

“The Republican Party is currently contacting Republican voters whose registrations, according to the Secretary of State voter records, may have become inactive, preventing them from receiving a ballot,,” Currier said,. :

“This can occur due to a recent change of address, signature differences over time, and other common changes to a voter’s information. They may be unaware of their status and we are making every effort to let them know that they can still reactivate their registration and obtain a ballot to vote in the current election” he added.

The message being conveyed to these voters, mostly via voicemail messages to the best available phone number, is as follows:

“Voter registration records have been reviewed in your county and there is a possibility that you or someone in your household may have had their voter registration marked inactive. If you have not received your ballot yet, this may be the reason. The Oregon Republican Party wants you to be able to vote in next Tuesday’s election. In the 2010 election, Republican Chris Dudley lost his race for governor by just over 1 percent. Last May, another Republican race ended in a tie vote, and was literally decided by a dice roll. Don’t let our state’s future be determined by a roll of the dice. You may be the deciding vote. Contact your county elections office immediately. By going directly to the elections office, you can reactivate your registration, pick up your ballot, and vote on the spot.”

“We have been made aware that some dishonest efforts are been made to mischaracterize these calls as attempts to discourage active voters who may have unintentionally received these calls,” Currier said. “However, as anyone can plainly see from the full message published above, we are only encouraging voters who have not received a ballot and expected to receive one to contact their county elections office to reactivate their registration and vote.”

“We want to help inactive Republican voters exercise their right to vote and to let them know that their vote really matters in these close election races in Oregon. This is the party’s job, to help our voters get this vital information,” Currier added..

“The polls have tightened significantly and a day of reckoning for our political opponents who have been running the state for 30 years is at hand,” he said. “Of course they are going to dislike our efforts to get more Republicans voting and some may even go so far as to suppress our efforts to end their grip on power. With all the extraordinary measures taken recently to register voters in Oregon by the State Government, even those not interested in being registered, our efforts to help already registered voters vote should earn applause, not dishonest spin.”

Currier issued another statement late Friday urging Secretary of State Jeanne Adkins to cease making statements that he claimed “effectively suppress Republican votes.”

He said her recent remarks to the media “mischaracterizes the state party’s efforts to reactivate inactive Republican voters across Oregon and openly encourages them to ignore calls from the state party providing information on how to get a ballot and vote.”

Oregon Secretary of State Jeanne Adkins went on television Friday night and told voters to “ignore the calls.” despite the tens of thousands of voters every election who need the very voter assistance the Republican party is attempting to provide.

Though some media reports have been corrected to reflect a more accurate account of Oregon Republican Party’s calls, Secretary Adkins continues to be quoted as labeling the calls as “voter suppression activity”, despite being a good faith effort to help voters vote.

“In a press release earlier tonight , we published the entire script of the call and it bears no resemblance to the descriptions being issued by the Secretary of State. The Oregon Republican Party message never said anything stating that anyone’s vote won’t count,” explained Currier. “It only encouraged registered Republican voters that had not yet received a ballot to get one and told them how. That is the opposite of voter suppression.”

“We are deeply concerned that the Secretary is actively discouraging Registered Republicans who happen to be of inactive status from obtaining a ballot,” explained Chairman Currier. “Her job is exactly the opposite – which is to help these voters in any way possible.”

“Just because a voter has a recent change of address or their signature changes over time, and various other common updates to a voter’s information that are needed, doesn’t mean that they have lost their right to vote. Quite the opposite – it is not clear to us why Secretary Adkins and other elections officials aren’t actively trying to inform these voters of their status, instead of telling them to ignore our attempts to help them”, said Chair Currier. “Yes, it is the party’s job, but it is their job too.”

“We also want to put County Elections Offices on notice to fully comply with Oregon Law that gives inactive voters the right to update their registration and get a ballot. We’ve seen media reports in which County Elections Officials have complained about voters contacting them seeking assistance and have portrayed the State Party’s effort to help inactive Republican voters to get a ballot as being “bogus” and “illegal.” It is no secret that it is a busy season for election offices, but the rights of voters come first and must be upheld,” added Currier.

“We’ve all heard the talk about elections being rigged in the news, but these kind statements from the state’s top election official, other elections officials, and unfortunately some misinformed media outlets leave us concerned if this might not in fact be happening here in Oregon,” stated Currier. “To tell Republican voters to ‘ignore’ get out the vote messages just four days before election day looks a lot like voter suppression from the Secretary of State herself. Therefore, we are requesting a full retraction of her statements and a correction so that no Republican voters are discouraged from seeking a ballot and voting.”

Here’s the secretary of state’s earlier announcement:

Oregon Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins said Friday she has asked the Oregon Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate incidents in which Oregon voters are receiving automated calls erroneously telling them that they’re not registered to vote and that their ballot will not be counted.

“If you received a ballot this election, you ARE registered to vote,” Atkins’ office said in a news release. “If you get your ballot in to a county clerk’s office by 8 p.m. Tuesday , your vote will be counted.”

“We are not sure who is behind these calls, but we take this type of voter suppression activity very seriously,” Atkins said. “There is simply no circumstance under which an Oregonian who has received a ballot should receive a call challenging their registration status. Get your ballot in by 8 p.m. Tuesday , and your vote will be counted.”

The issue was reported to the state by Oregon county clerks who have been hearing from Oregonians about this apparent voter suppression scheme.

Atkins reminded all Oregon voters that they have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to get their ballot into their county clerk or an official ballot drop box. You can find your nearest dropbox at oregonvotes.gov/dropbox .

Atkins also said Friday that more than 1 million Oregonians have cast their ballot so far, as voters head into the last weekend before the Tuesday general election.

Compared to today’s total of 1.05 million ballots returned, 899,128 ballots were returned by the Friday before the 2012 general election, and 931,981 ballots returned the Friday before the 2008 general election.

The turnout number represents 41 percent of eligible voters this election. In comparison, 40.7 percent percent of voters had turned out by Friday before the 2012 general election and 43 percent had turned by Friday before the 2008 general election.

“Even with the 230,000 swell from Oregon Motor Voter this election, our turnout is exceeding expectations,” Atkins said. “As we head into the last weekend before Election Day, now is the time to fill out your ballot, find an official drop box near you, and let your voice be heard this election. If you’ve already voted, ask your friends and family if they have a plan to make sure they cast their vote by 8 p.m. this November 8 th .”

The current turnout numbers are based on the total number of voters eligible to vote in a given election – as in those who registered to vote before the deadline. After the election, the agency will produce a more comprehensive report, which will include turnout based on the total number of Oregonians who meet the minimum requirements to vote, regardless of their registration status.

Atkins reminds voters that the safest way to send their ballot, if they haven’t already, is via an official drop box. Mailing a ballot at this point risks the possibility that it will not reach its destination on time to be counted.

A map of official drop boxes can be found at oregonvotes.gov/dropbox. The application requires an address of a registered voter in the search box.

“As I’ve been predicting, we are on track to have more Oregonians participate in this election than ever before,” Atkins said. “Oregon already has a reputation as a leader in expanding access to voting. I’m eager to see what records we can break in this historic election.”