State of Oregon and PAC settle voting violation

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon’s elections director and a political action committee that disenfranchised nearly 100 voters by turning their ballots in late in the November 2018 election have come to an agreement in which most of its $94,750 fine is suspended and the PAC will detail its procedures in acting as a go-between.

The incident exposed a potential election vulnerability in Oregon, the first state to adopt an all-mail vote. No one knows how many groups in Oregon collect filled-in ballots to turn in because state government officials in charge of elections have not tracked those activities.

But in the agreement signed on Monday and provided to The Associated Press, the directors of Defend Oregon committed to describing whether people delivering ballots for voters are volunteers, employees or paid canvassers, the training they receive, a description of signs they use, and of the process used to gather and deliver ballots.