Editor's note: This is the third of a multipart series on HB 5202, the budget bill for the 2022 Legislative Session.

Oregon’s short session passed two major bills that could impact election results. SB 1527, introduced by the Senate Committee on Rules and Executive Appointments, chaired by Senator Rob Wagner, reduces the number of electors who must be registered as member of a minor political party in order for that minor political party to retain political party status from one-half of one percent to one-quarter of one percent of total number of registered electors in state. It also authorizes the Secretary of State as the only one that certifies elections, sets election rules and audits for recount.

HB 4133 requires the Oregon Centralized Voter Registration (OCVR) system to enable an individual to register to vote entering only their final four digits of their Social Security number and to electronically submit image of their signature. Implementation is to be no later than January 1, 2026.

HB 4133 was not sent to Ways and Means for funding waiting to the next biennium. However, the Elections Division has selected a vendor that recently completed similar project to OCVR in Arizona and Washington. They requested $5,300,000 Federal Funds expenditure limitation increase to pay costs associated with the OCVR system project and it was approved. This project is part of a modernization effort involving the state’s centralized voter registration and elections management software.

The federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which passed in 2002, provided limited federal funding to be used by states to defray the cost of required changes to elections systems and processes made by the law. The state’s remaining HAVA funds are being used to pay the one-time OCVR replacement project costs

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

HB 5202 provides $327,112 General Funds to support positions in the Elections Division, which changed position support funding from Help America Vote Act federal funding to the General Fund.

A good example of waste when the legislature gets ahead of the process is HB 5006, passed in 2021, which appropriated $2,000,000 General Fund to the Secretary of State for “grants to counties to address county elections offices equipment and technology needs.” At the time of passage, no formal plan for these grants had been developed. A new elections improvement plan passed that includes $120,000 grants for each county, along with new postal barcode scanners for a total cost of $1,160,000. Another $370,000 was approved for the Secretary of State to procure statewide elections services such as search engine optimization, and statewide ballot tracking, which are cheaper for the state to provide centrally rather than having each county attempt to procure their own equivalent services individually. Also approved was $470,000 to be held back as contingency funds for potential emerging elections needs. Any contingency monies remaining would be distributed equally among counties at the end of the biennium

The OCVR and passing SB 1527 giving the Secretary of State power over local elections is a primary concern of Janice Dysinger, Oregonians for Fair Elections. She believes this is a set up to adopt same-day-voting, which allows registration at the same time you vote. There are two other bills she thinks will return, lower the voting age to 15 and allowing prisoners to vote. Regardless of the number in opposition to all the election bills, the Oregon voting system continues to erode.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-03-13 06:50:03

Last Update: 2022-03-11 10:58:01