PODCAST: Voting by Mail, it's the Oregon Way.
Shemia Fagan, Democratic candidate for Secretary of State, discusses Oregon's reputation for running participatory elections.
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"File:Oregon voter pamphlet.jpg" by Pete Forsyth is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Oregon’s been voting by mail since before it was cool.
As the rest of the nation picks up this common sense approach to making elections more participatory, it’s worth remembering that Oregon adopted the practice way back in the 80s. Here’s a review of the history of vote by mail (VBM):
In 1981, the Oregon Legislature launched its first VBM test in local elections.
By 1993, Oregon was using VBM for a statewide election.
In 1996, the state hosted the first general election operated entirely by VBM.
By the 2004 election, VBM had become common practice -- 86 percent turnout was recorded.
Learn more about VBM from the Secretary of State’s office.
The nation is looking at Oregon as a model for how to run elections.
With eyes shifting to our state, I was thrilled to chat with Shemia Fagan, Democratic candidate for Secretary of State, about Oregon’s elections.
Take a listen to our conversation:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fix-it/id1521729841