US EditionControversial proposal to take away vote by mail results in heated debate
- Oregon State Senator David Brock Smith, a Republican from Port Orford, introduced Senate Bill 210 in January 2025, which would ask voters in November 2026 to decide whether to end the state's vote-by-mail system and revert to primarily in-person voting.
- Fueled by claims of potential voter fraud and influenced by a recent executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote, the bill seeks to overhaul Oregon's voting system, which has been primarily mail-in since voters approved it in 1998 and was first used for a presidential election in 2000.
- The bill proposes requiring government-issued photo ID for in-person voting, limiting mail-in voting to those unable to vote in person with exceptions for military and overseas personnel, mandating ballot submission by 8 p.m. On election night, and potentially shifting postage costs to voters, while supporters of the bill claim Oregon's voting system has created opportunities for wide scale voter fraud.
- During a 90-minute public hearing on Monday, the bill, dubbed "the bill that broke OLIS" by Smith due to the overwhelming response, drew significant opposition, with over 9,000 residents submitting testimony against it, nearly six times the number supporting the proposal; while some proponents cited concerns about election security, others, like Ayla Hofler, stated, "We cannot afford the kind of voting mechanisms we’re doing now" and Karen Goodness saying that ending Oregon's vote by mail system would be an opportunity to start all over again.
- Despite the debate and supporters concerns about election integrity, the bill is highly unlikely to pass due to the Democratic party's strong support for vote-by-mail and their supermajority in both of Oregon's legislative chambers, with House Speaker Julie Fahey stating, "Democrats in the Legislature don't have any interest in rolling back vote by mail.
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GOP senator’s effort to end decades-old voting law slammed by thousands in Oregon
Thousands of Oregonians submitted letters opposing a Republican senator’s long-shot attempt to ask voters whether to repeal the state’s decades-old mail voting law, swamping the Legislature’s website on Monday. The outcry against Sen. David Brock Smith’s Senate Bill 210 could serve as a preview of ...
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Thousands of Oregonians slam Republican senator’s attempt to end mail ballots
Thousands of Oregonians submitted letters opposing a Republican senator’s long-shot attempt to ask voters whether to repeal the state’s decades-old mail voting law, swamping the Legislature’s website on Monday.
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