Oregon Public Broadcasting

As other states consider switching to a vote-by-mail system much like Oregon’s, the state is offering a refresher course for some people here at home.

This week, Secretary of State Kate Brown will lead a group of state legislators and some county officials to observe how people vote by mail in Beaverton, Bend, and Medford.

Oregon’s county clerks are on the front lines of election practice.

Deschutes County Clerk Nancy Blankenship says it’s true that elected officials have a big stake in the process, but she says they need as much help as anyone understanding how it works.

Nancy Blankenship  “When people are elected to office, mostly what you see is: You send your ballot in, and the results are presented. Everything in between is not necessarily something that a candidate or the average voter has much knowledge about.”

Blankenship notes that many elections bring slight changes in state or federal voting procedure.

For example, this year, Oregon voters can register online. In 2009, a new law was created to allow service members overseas to fax their ballots to their home counties.

Senator Ron Wyden is sponsoring legislation that would help interested states move toward the vote-by-mail model, as it’s practiced in Oregon.