Oregon elections official says system is safe, accurate, slams Trump
Oregon’s secretary of state and attorney general said on Election Day that the state’s election system remains secure and accurate.
Secretary of State Tobias Read said Oregon’s historic mail-in voting system remains the gold standard for election security and accessibility despite federal funding reductions and operational changes that have affected election support.
“Your voice matters, your vote matters,” Read said. “I want to assure you that Oregon elections are secure, Oregon elections are accurate, Oregon elections are fair and you should be confident that our system is the gold standard for elections.”
He highlighted steps the state is taking to keep elections safe, accurate and secure, such as tracking ballots with a unique barcode system and verifying signatures. The state’s ballot counting machines are never connected to the internet and are subject to public testing before and after elections, Read added.
Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read at a news conference in Salem on May 19, where he spoke about election integrity on Oregon’s primary election day.
Read criticized President Donald Trump and the federal administration’s actions that he said have weakened election security infrastructure. He specifically highlighted cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which Read has repeatedly expressed concerns about.
He said Oregon worked to make up for losses by forming partnerships with the Oregon Titan Fusion Center, the Oregon Military Department and county election officials to strengthen cybersecurity protections and emergency preparedness.
And Read said the state is working to add more drop boxes in the future (there are currently 321 statewide) in response to mail processing delays.
Rayfield also spoke out, saying Oregonians should remain confident in the state’s election integrity despite misinformation surrounding election administration.
“The amount of misinformation being spread across our country within this state is at an unprecedented level,” Rayfield said. “We face attacks on the integrity and administration of our elections, from elected officials all the way up to the President of the United States. »
Rayfield said his Justice Department was “stepping back” and had filed several legal challenges over the past year to stop Trump’s “unconstitutional actions.” On May 19, a panel of Ninth Circuit judges in Pasadena, Calif., heard oral arguments in a case related to the administration’s efforts to collect information on voter rolls in Oregon and California.
Voters have until 8 p.m. on May 19 to return their ballot. Election officials encouraged Oregonians to use drop boxes to return their ballots on time.
Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Contact her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.comon @DianneLugo or Bluesky @diannelugo.bsky.social
This article originally appeared in the Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon elections official says system remains secure and accurate.
