QuickTake:

Oregon’s ballots will go out to voters as usual this election cycle, state and local election officials say, amid federal litigation over the Trump administration’s efforts to attack vote-by-mail.

Oregon ballots this November will go out to voters in the mail like any other election cycle.

As vote-by-mail is targeted in ongoing federal litigation involving the Trump administration and states, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read issued a new directive Tuesday, Aug. 25, to Oregon’s local elections officials. In essence, Read told the officials to keep following Oregon’s voting laws and proceed with plans to send ballots to voters.

“The purpose of this directive is to provide certainty to elections officials and voters alike,” Read said in a letter accompanying the directive. “All eligible Oregonians will receive their ballots by mail for the upcoming election and should plan to return them using the mail or a secure, official drop box.”

Vote-by-mail remains in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly asserted, without solid evidence, that mailing ballots is linked to fraud. In March, Trump issued an executive order requiring the U.S. Postal Service to initiate rulemaking for mailed ballots. That order quickly drew court challenges and a federal judge in Massachusetts granted two injunctions that prevented the Postal Service from following the executive order in the November election.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday lifted an injunction in a multistate lawsuit that includes Oregon. The court found that the states’ claims were premature because a final rule had not yet been published, Read’s letter to elections officials states. The Supreme Court said states could challenge the published federal rule if they believe it harms them.

As litigation proceeds on the federal level, state officials are closely watching, Read’s letter said: “Should the USPS continue its efforts  to  interfere with Oregon’s vote-by-mail system, Oregon’s Attorney General and I have pledged to take immediate legal action.”

Tommy Gong, Lane County clerk, said Tuesday the county is proceeding with the election in a “business as usual” mode. However, Gong said the county is always looking for ways to make sure county voters have access to information about voting and the necessary resources.

For example, the county is considering whether to provide replacement ballots earlier than usual to voters if they don’t receive a ballot in the mail, he said. However, no policy has been set yet to do so. 

Regardless, voters in Lane County will still either get their ballots in the mail and can ask for a replacement ballot in time to vote.

Overall, Gong said, it’s about making sure the county can answer questions and get timely information to voters.

U.S. mail service isn’t the only option for returning ballots. County residents also can put ballots in drop boxes throughout Lane County.

In fact, that was the preferred method for county voters in the May primary election: Gong said 75% of ballots in that election were placed in drop boxes instead of being mailed. The county has 21 drop boxes throughout the region for voters.

Gong said there are no plans to increase the number of boxes because “it takes advanced planning to perform site selection, coordinate with the property owner, procure and install the boxes, expand and schedule the team servicing the boxes” and notify the public. 

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Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.