QuickTake:

In a Eugene appearance, Tobias Read, the state top elections official said Oregon’s voting system was strong and secure and downplayed efforts to undermine confidence in elections.

Tobias Read, the state’s elections leader, defended Oregon’s record when it comes to voting and downplayed as “noise” criticism leveled against election procedures.

The Oregon secretary of state’s remarks came during a stop in Eugene, Tuesday, Jan. 27, at an event organized by the League of Women Voters of Lane County.

The administration of President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking unredacted Oregon voter information and also tried to implement changes that would affect the mail-in voting used by Oregon. Trump has issued an executive order — blocked in court — calling for changes that he has said are about ensuring the integrity of elections.

“This noise, I think, can be overwhelming, and a lot of it is confusing. And I’m sad to say that I think a lot of that is by design,” Read said. “Some of it is, let’s be honest, meant to make people cynical, to make folks throw up their hands and say, ‘Why even bother?’”

But, Read said, election procedures are strong and secure in the state, and he urged the approximately 200 people in attendance at The Shedd Institute “to shake off that cynicism and remind ourselves that our democracy is a living, breathing thing, and it lasts only as long as we come together and do what’s necessary to keep it.”

Read spoke specifically about the voter data lawsuit. The federal Department of Justice sought from Oregon personally identifiable information about all the state’s voters, including address information, date of birth and driver’s license numbers or the last four digits of the registered voter’s Social Security number.

“This is not about election security or integrity,” Read said, adding that other states have also denied similar requests from the Trump administration.

“I think it’s because they saw what we saw, that this is an irresponsible attempt to strong-arm states into handing over that sensitive data that this administration thinks that they can use for their political gains, whether it is targeting their political enemies or immigrant communities or trying to manipulate this data to somehow prove their election conspiracy theories,” Read said.

The Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan policy organization, reports that “at least 11” states have handed over or said they will give unredacted lists of voters that include driver’s license and Social Security numbers.

However, U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai Monday dismissed the Department of Justice lawsuit against Oregon. Read hailed the judge’s ruling.

“The federal government may well appeal the judge’s dismissal, but this is a strong start, a strong precedent, and it is something to celebrate,” Read said.

Read expresses concern about cuts to the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, with a lack of support for the agency under Trump’s administration “leaving me sleepless,” he said. 

Published reports have described cuts to some 130 agency employees. Read said the agency has provided elections officials with intelligence briefings and physical security assessments.

“They were our firewall against foreign interference and domestic attacks,” Read said. Of the cuts, he said, “that’s not just irresponsible, it is dangerous.”

Read also answered questions from the crowd, including about what voters should do given U.S. Postal Service changes affecting postmarks.

If it’s later than the Thursday before the Tuesday election — or in that range —  Read advised against mailing in a ballot.

“And if you need to mail late, go to the post office, go up to the counter and ask them to postmark it there. They will do it if you ask,” Read said.

There are also other options, Read said.

“The number one thing you can do, if you can get yourself to a drop box, an official county dropbox, do that, and you don’t have to worry about the Postal Service,” Read said.

County preparations

In a separate talk, Lane County Clerk Tommy Gong briefed county commissioners Tuesday, Jan. 27, about efforts to prepare for the May primary elections.

Secure elections are a priority, Gong said, adding that the county is applying for grants to install more cameras to watch ballot boxes. Currently, about five ballot boxes have coverage now, he said. 

“We’re looking to expand that and be able to provide more security to our ballot box,” Gong said. 

The county’s also working to drop inactive voters from the rolls. In Lane County, that adds up to 17,047 inactive voters, Gong said.

“We’re auditing the list that has been provided to us by the Secretary of State’s office, and we intend to complete this process before this election cycle begins,” Gong said.

Gong stressed that transparency is a priority so that members of the public understand and gain confidence in the election process. People are welcome to “observe our processes as the ballots are being received and processed in our office,” Gong said.

Staff correspondent Ben Botkin contributed to this report.