From mailbox to ballot box: A look inside the voting process ahead of May election
Claire Elmer
(Update: adding comments from Deschutes County Clerk)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — With the May primary election fast-approaching, Deschutes County voters are being reminded that not all ballots will look the same — and an upcoming deadline could impact what you see.
Deschutes County Clerk Steve Dennison says Oregon’s closed primary system means voters must be affiliated with a major political party to vote in that party’s races.
“If a voter wants to participate in a primary election for either of the two major parties, they need to be affiliated with one of those two major parties,” Dennison said.
The deadline to register to vote or update your party affiliation is April 28. Missing that deadline means partisan races may not appear on your ballot.
Once ballots are returned, Dennison says a detailed verification process begins.
Ballots are collected from drop boxes by two-person teams, then sealed, tracked and transported to the clerk’s office. From there, each signature is hand-reviewed by trained staff.
“Our staff are all trained by forensic handwriting specialists. We know what your signature looks like,” Dennison said.
If a signature is missing or doesn’t match, the ballot is flagged and the voter is contacted with an opportunity to fix the issue. About 4% of ballots are challenged each election and are only counted if corrected.
Any suspected voter fraud is referred to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office for investigation and possible prosecution.
Dennison also emphasized the security of the county’s voting system.
“That voting system is not connected to the internet. It’s not connected to the county network. It’s not connected to Wi-Fi,” he said. “That is not susceptible to hackers because it’s not connected to anything.”
From ballot collection to signature verification and auditing, Dennison says multiple safeguards are in place to ensure accuracy and transparency.
“There are checks and balances in place, secure transport and chain of custody, and we’re following the law,” he said.
Dennison encourages voters with questions or concerns to contact the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office, saying understanding the process can help build confidence in local elections.