Oregon May election proceeds as county clerks close offices, with exceptions, for virus

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Despite the growing coronavirus pandemic locally and around the world, Oregon's primary elections will continue unabated, albeit with county clerks adapting their procedures and expectations.

In the meantime, county clerks offices across the state have been closed to the public for fear of spreading the coronavirus. As of Sunday morning, the state had 548 cases of COVID-19, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

Bill Burgess, president of the Oregon Association of County Clerks, said some counties will have protective gloves on hand for election volunteers who open and count ballots. It's not clear how long the virus can live on paper, though he said the state is inquiring into that.

Some ballot drop-off sites located in public buildings, such as schools, might be closed leading up to the election.

But this is the first year that Oregon's ballots will come with pre-paid postage, lowering a barrier to individuals returning their ballots through the mail.

Initial results will be posted after 8 p.m. on May 19 as usual, Burgess said, but it could take the counties longer to process ballots entirely because they will be following social distancing guidelines encouraged by public health experts.

Burgess, who is also the clerk for Marion County, said his county will be bringing in fewer volunteers to count this year because the room they use isn't big enough for everyone while maintaining the recommended six feet of distance.

He added that state and county officials are looking for a way to lengthen the three-week time frame the state has to certify an election.

“We’re going to practice social distancing, so we’re not going to get as many people in the room that we usually do," he said. “It may take us longer to process ballots. We’ll still get it done and get it done accurately.”

Regular ballots will be mailed out starting April 29.

Secretary of State Bev Clarno indicated on March 19 the primary election would move forward as scheduled. She noted that because of its vote-by-mail system, Oregon does not have the same concerns as other states about maintaining social distancing at polling locations.

Reducing contact with other people can help slow the spread of coronavirus, which is why a long list of private and public offices, including county clerks, have been ordered closed.

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However, after concerns were raised to county commissioners, clerks in some counties — including Marion and Polk — are still allowing couples inside their offices to receive marriage licenses.

While the marriage license application can be completed online, but in most Oregon counties both parties must appear in-person to get the license.

Polk County Clerk Val Unger said the doors of the Polk County Circuit Courthouse in Dallas, where her offices are located, are locked except when a couple arranges an appointment to get a license. Marion County is offering a similar exception to the coronavirus closure.

An employee will meet them at the door and let them in. Unger said the office has been fitted with a pane of acrylic glass so there is still a barrier between workers and the public during these interactions.

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As far as preparing for the election, Unger said she didn't expect this year's primary to be any different than previous years. Her ballot-counting operation is smaller, so not as many people are needed and they can have the same number of volunteers as in previous years.

Though most election volunteers are older, so it may not be the same volunteers as in past elections.

"I anticipate that some of the people I normally use to do that may not be available or may not want to,” Unger said.

Contact reporter Connor Radnovich at cradnovich@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6864, or follow him on Twitter at @CDRadnovich