Sen. Thatcher calls for Oregon to open in-person voting sites
Thatcher #Thatcher
Republican State Senator Kim Thatcher is calling for Oregon to open in-person voting sites after wildfire evacuations could halt some traditional mail-voting processes.
The wildfire evacuations happened just 53 days before the November election. Despite that, mail-in ballots are going out soon. Which poses the important question: how do you get ballot when either your home is destroyed or when you’re living in a shelter?
Caption: KATU
Sen. Thatcher says in-person voting sites can be set up at city hall buildings across the state and at local elections offices.
She says people shouldn’t have to re-register at a temporary address, because this could keep people from voting on candidates and issues directly related to their home town.
Sen. Thatcher is asking Governor Brown to make these changes by executive order, if necessary.
Thatcher is running for Secretary of State and we have reached out to her opponent, Shemia Fagan on the topic.
Fagan, on the other hand, says rather than call for an emergency order, that officials should prioritize getting accurate voting information to evacuees once they have safely re-settled.