The Oregon House Committee on Rules has schedule two election bills on Valentines Day. Perhaps they thought you’d be too busy to notice. Secretary of State Shemia Fagan has requested two bills that should concern Oregon voters. However one has been removed.

HJR 4 proposes to amend the Oregon Constitution to provide for same-day voter registration, and has been removed from the hearing schedule. The amendment removes the requirement to be registered 20 days prior to an election and adds, “Registers to vote not later than 8 p.m. on the date of the election in the manner provided by law.”

The Secretary of State website lists requirements to register to vote, which assumes someone at least glances at the documents for compliance. If a person is allowed to register at the same time as voting, there is no verification process prior to voting, and once a ballot is cast, it’s in stone and never retrieved if the registrant turns out to not qualify. To qualify, a person must have documentation that proves:

• U.S. citizenship
• Oregon resident for 6 months
• At least 16 years old, but can’t vote until 18
• Oregon driver’s license, permit or ID card or signed verification.

Constitutional amendments are referred to voters for their approval or rejection at the next regular general election. Voters are disenfranchised with government’s quest to increase the number of voters that seemingly are not informed. Voters want secure elections that guards against fraudulent votes. It is government’s job to protect our voting system, not push it off on the voters.

HB 2107 expands the automatic registration of the motor voter system in two ways. First, it extends automatic voter registration to the Oregon Health Authority when people receive care under the Oregon Health Plan. It states: “The Oregon Health Authority shall provide to the secretary electronic records, derived from information provided to the Oregon Health Plan, containing the legal name, age, residence and citizenship information for, and, if any, the electronic signature of, each person who the authority deems may be eligible to be a qualified elector.” There is some question whether this violates HIPPA laws. To approach a patient on the election process when most vulnerable and may not be thinking clearly may add to the duress of why they are seeing a doctor.

The bill further states, “the authority may not provide to the secretary any electronic records demonstrating that a person is not a citizen of the United States,” which is one of the criteria for being an eligible voter. Then the secretary is to obtain an electronic signature from the Department of Transportation if not provided by the authority. If Transportation has the signature, that should mean they have already been registered under motor voter. Is there no check for duplication?

The secretary sends the information to the county clerk and the clerk notifies each person of the process to decline registration or adopt a political party affiliation. If no response, the person is registered to vote as a qualified non-affiliated elector.

The second part of HB 2107 establishes a pilot program at Powder River Correctional Facility to require that each adult in custody be granted an updated state identification card and voter registration upon release. The facility is located in Baker City, with mixed custody housing up to 286 inmates of low- to high-risk inmates that may be serving life sentences without parole.

The Adult Custody Programs aimed towards rehabilitation include civic responsibility to re-enter society. If they take their rehabilitation seriously, voter registration or re-registration should be presented as a privilege to seek out their right to vote, not be force onto them. Once this system is set up, it makes it easier to then pass voting for prisoners.

To the heart of Valentines Day, the hearing is scheduled to include HB 2585, sponsored by Representative Lily Morgan (R-Grants Pass), which will end automatic voter registration through Oregon Motor Voter. It reestablishes the process of registration at any office of Department of Transportation where licenses or renewal applications are distributed or received that existed prior to enactment of Oregon Motor Voter. This bill is identical to HB 2233 sponsored by Representative Kevin Mannix.

These bills remove electronic reporting to the Secretary of State of every name, age, signature, residence and citizenship information, and the process for transferring it to county clerks. Instead, DMV offices will make voter registration cards available and deliver them to the county clerk in a timely manner.

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

The bills provide for the driver's license application and the state identification card application include a section to apply for voter registration, which complies with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Signatures may only be used for voter registration purposes, and they will not be automatically registered without their signature.

Court evidence is now available that proves that unused ballots are being fraudulently harvested, and that automatic voter registration has increased the number of ballots available for fraudulent activity.

The hearing is scheduled for February 14 at 1 PM in room HR C. Let your voice be heard.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2023-02-10 03:21:22

Last Update: 2023-02-11 19:49:57