Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader, today introduced their bill to expand Oregon-style vote-by-mail nationwide and knock down the mounting obstacles that voters across the country are facing, just to cast their ballots.
“This administration is fixated with making it harder for Americans to vote,” Wyden said. “And when regular Americans can’t vote, lobbyists, special interests and everyone else who wants to profit off of the government win. Taking back our government from the special interests starts with making sure every eligible American who wants to vote is able to make their voice heard at the ballot box. Passing Oregon-style vote-by-mail is how we make that happen.”
“We’re in the middle of a national civics lesson. We should be fighting to amplify the voices of all Americans, not stifle them with laws that make voting harder,” Blumenauer said. “With access to the ballot box under attack across the country, Oregon offers the best model to increase voter participation and make sure everyone can take part in our democracy. It’s time for the rest of the country to catch up.”
Oregon became the country’s first all-vote-by-mail state in 2000, and since then, has consistently ranked among the states with highest voter-turnout in the nation. Oregon voting rates are especially high among young voters and in midterm elections, when turnout traditionally lags. Oregon’s vote by mail law has deterred voter fraud by implementing security measures such as a signature authentication system. Oregon’s system also prevents potential fraud by centralizing ballot processing in the county clerk’s office, rather than at various polling sites.
Vote by mail also has been shown to reduce Election Day costs by eliminating the need to transport equipment to polling stations and to hire and train poll workers.
