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Contact your representative to request a public hearing for HJR 7! Date: June 3, 2021 To: All League Members From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President Norman Turrill, LWVOR Governance Coordinator Chris Cobey, LWVOR Redistricting Specialist Please write, email, or phone members of the House Rules Committee and your representatives requesting a public hearing for HJR 7 ASAP. HJR 7 calls for the establishment of an independent citizens’ redistricting commission (ICRC). An ICRC would let voters select their representatives, instead of the other way around, and would eliminate one of the most basic conflicts of interest for our legislators – drawing their own districts. Does the current system, allowing politicians to draw their own district lines, need to be changed? Well, for the last twenty years, incumbent legislators have won more than 97% of their general election races! Over 60,000 Oregon voters endorsed independent citizens’ redistricting commissions for last year’s ballot. Please also ask your representatives to support this concept during their virtual coffee hours, town halls, or constituent office hours. We are now in the final month to schedule public hearings. The Oregon legislature 2021 regular session must end by June 27 and bills must be heard in both chambers to be enacted. Please write now!

This article was originally posted on OregonLive. By The Oregonian Editorial Board There are two bills in the Oregon House proposing campaign contribution limits. One, House Bill 3343, proposes clear, modest limits and has the support of good-government groups that have long fought to cap donations. The other, House Bill 2680, does little to curb the massive contributions that corporations and labor unions have long donated to candidates and political parties. So, guess which bill has the momentum? Unfortunately for Oregonians who want to get big money out of politics, that would be HB 2680, which is scheduled for a work session in the House Rules Committee on Friday. The bill, in its current version, does impose some limits. Candidates for a statewide office – such as governor or secretary of state – could not accept more than $2,900 per election from a person or $40,000 from a political party caucus committee. Candidates for state house and senate seats face lower limits. Local governments could set their own caps, provided they do not exceed the state’s. The range of per-person contributions are much higher than the $500 to $1,000 caps contemplated by HB 3343, but more important, HB 2680 would have little effect on changing the dynamics set by the same players who have long dominated the political landscape – corporations and unions. Loopholes and design flaws abound in the legislation, which is opposed by League of Women Voters of Oregon, Common Cause Oregon, OSPIRG, Honest Elections Oregon and several other groups that have pressed for meaningful contribution caps. Among the flaws: A “person” who can give to a candidate is defined as an “individual, labor union or corporation, including any corporation operated for economic gain or any not-for-profit corporation.” Entities can easily skirt the limit by forming new corporations, which takes $100 and a couple of minutes, as campaign finance reform activist and lawyer Dan Meek has said, noting that many exploited a similar campaign contribution loophole in New York before the state closed it. There’s more. The bill would allow corporations – for-profit and nonprofit – to provide a candidate with $50,000 a year in paid staff time, such as a political consultant. That gives the donor considerable influence in a candidate’s campaign. It would permit Democratic and Republican caucus committees to amass and redirect donations at levels far higher than most other political committees. And it would continue to bless game-changing donations by public-employee unions and other so-called “membership organizations” that would still be able to indirectly steer massive sums to candidates through “small-donor committees,” as The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Hillary Borrud reported. Corvallis Democratic Rep. Dan Rayfield, the bill’s chief sponsor, deserves credit for wading into the campaign finance morass. But even he can’t support the current version without changes, telling The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board that he would want the amendment allowing donation of staff time to be narrowed, though not eliminated. He said the provision furthers a legitimate policy objective ­­­– helping organizations that have been historically left out of the political process to participate on behalf of candidates. That’s a worthy consideration. But legislators should look for other avenues to support that goal that don’t allow the same old players to keep playing the same old game. Nineteen states ban contributions from corporations and unions outright, according to Meek, who helped author the successful campaign finance limit initiatives in Portland and Multnomah County. Another 23 states have limits far stricter than those under consideration in Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Polluted by Money series in 2019 exposed how Oregon’s lack of campaign contribution limits has translated into weaker environmental laws and lower standards than neighbors with stricter campaign-finance requirements. Oregonians responded by overwhelmingly supporting a constitutional amendment last year to allow the setting of campaign limits. And voters in Portland and Multnomah County have already enthusiastically embraced ballot initiatives establishing strict caps. The only part that’s missing is the Legislature. While it’s an admittedly difficult challenge to divorce campaigns from the limitless cash infusions that have fed them, lawmakers across the Capitol need to summon their political courage to do what Oregonians elected them to do. They should start by scrapping HB 2680, embracing the straightforward approach in HB 3343 and committing to pass meaningful campaign finance reform this session. -The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Voting Rights and Election Integrity A Talk by Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan The 2021 Governor Tom McCall Memorial Lecture in Public Affairs The School of Public Policy in the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University presents the 2021 Governor Tom McCall Memorial Lecture in Public Affairs, featuring Secretary of State Shemia Fagan speaking on voting rights and election integrity. Thursday, May 27 at 6:00 PM via Zoom Register here to attend the webcast.

Office Support Specialist Part-time position serving as member liaison/membership manager, event manager, project manager, and administrative staff for key statewide program areas. Coordinator is responsible for coordinating communication between state and local League offices and project teams; arranging and overseeing League events, both virtual and on-site; and providing staff and office support for various committees and committee project work. Provides administrative, technical, and scheduling support for a small office while reporting to multiple remote volunteer project leaders. Part-time position, 20-30 hours/week, varies with project scheduling needs. Office location: Salem OR; position is currently remote, when office opens some on-site work will be required. Qualifications: 3 years relevant experience or education; non-profit experience preferred. A multi-tasking position that requires excellent office management, organizing, and interpersonal skills; attention to detail and time management; work independently and on team; written and verbal interpersonal communication; business and technical writing; strong computer, data, and internet content delivery skills; and commitment to League of Women Voters mission. Successful candidate will be flexible, cooperative, self-directed and able to set priorities and follow through in a timely manner. Experience with Office Suite, Google/G-Suite, database and website management, video conferencing, and social media. Work schedule: flexible with occasional weekend and evening hours; may need to adjust schedule to meet key deadlines. Pay: From $15.00 per hour Send your resume and a cover letter to lwvor@lwvor.org to apply by 5/25.

Sponsored by The League of Women Voters of Rogue Valley May 20, 2021 at 11:30 AM PST Oregon Secretary of State, Shemia Fagan, has made a video for us, to specifically address the current redistricting situation in our state. Scheduling did not allow her to attend but in lieu of her appearance, she is sending Kathy Wai, who has been appointed by Secretary Fagan to be her point person for redistricting. Secretary Fagan is also sending her Chief of Staff, Emily McClain. Both women will be available for the Q & A. Redistricting is on our minds as a result of the 2020 Census data. New lines will be drawn. Politics, geography, population, and culture will all play their part! What will your district look like and how will it be formed? Register for Redistricting Update Webinar here!

Delegates and observers, Thank you for your diligence in setting the course for our next two years and beyond, by attending Convention, addressing profound issues, proposed studies, and board elections. Please report back to your Leagues, and tell them we loved the photos and videos you sent! Look for the June All-members’ letter for a review of recommended reading from the past two years. It is almost summer and I hope we all have a chance to catch our breath, rejuvenate, and Reset, Reboot, and Reconnect! Convention Evaluation In Ashland, we committed to improving communications. How are we doing? Please fill out the evaluation form. It is a quick series of questions, mostly for this past week, but the final question can be answered broadly. We called for guidance to the board at Convention. And if something occurs to you afterward, please let us know. Board Thank You Dear outgoing board members, Please accept my deep thanks for your service as you go off the board. My comments in the Saturday business session to each of you are heartfelt! I look forward welcoming Connie Bozarth and Kermit Yensen! I’m looking forward to retreat, maybe reconsidering meeting in-person? Friday morning staff meetings have had a sunny agenda item we’ve had fun with, how to thank board members, but that’s been delayed by the intensity of the Action support, the Primary election this Tuesday, this convention, and a staff transition. Thanks to the Convention Events Committee! Thank you to Robin Tokmakian and to all of the presenters for the workshops and caucuses. You have raised the bar and we need to act on these! Staff Thank You! Thanks to staff for making the Convention VIRTUAL! Recordings are on our website so we can refresh and work on those volunteer suggestions, etc. Amazing Amanda was the tech guru of the day, managing the polling, etc.! Please sign Sarah Andrews’ Farewell card! It has been a happy six year span of competence, above and beyond at every turn, Thank You! We wish you and your family all the best as your husband starts grad school in Stockholm! The freedom to VOTE (Election Day tomorrow!) Check VOTE411.org! As legislative voting restrictions loom around the country, we must protect them here. We want voters to be well-informed and properly represented by those they elect. Does that make you think of fighting gerrymandering with an Independent Citizens Redistricting Committee? I hope so! And spread the word for everyone you know to share to VOTE by Tuesday! Local Elections matter! All politics is/are? LOCAL! Our STUDY and Position Development Process For studies, now you know it really isn’t too early to start issue searches for Convention 2023! Weigh topics, rally support for them, and bring your study committee rosters! One member noted that our program adoption prioritized process over study content. LWVOR Bylaws call us to vote to consider studies, concurrences, and resolutions, deferring substantive content discussion to a separate business session for content debate and voting to adopt. This intermittently causes consternation. This process is intended to protect our League brand. We must ensure vigorous wherewithal, that local Leagues will be able to process the roster of studies’ consensus, to maintain the reputation of the trustworthy League voice. We cannot spread ourselves too thinly by adopting too many studies and demand too much of our local Leagues and volunteers. I was floored by Jane Cravens volunteerism comment, that asking more than 5 hours a week of our volunteers is too much. We have a true need for the positions we get from studies. Our entire study process has become daunting to the degree that LWVUS has seriously slowed down with national studies and we will be addressing that. LWVUS Council I want you to know and I’m very pleased that our Program Chair, Sheila McGinnis, wants to push next month’s national Council to take a hard look at fixing the problems we have with our study structure. And Alice Bartelt wants to review how member agreement committees edit new study positions in the context of earlier positions that might be contradictory. That’s a daunting process and we need to address it! Thanks to you both! Robin Tokmakian will also represent Oregon at the US Council, bringing her strong Oregon voice for Climate Emergency and perspective from League UN work. I love meeting leaders from around the country at the national councils and suggest to you that it is a hidden benefit to membership on our state board! DEI We are all thinking more of DEI now, thank heavens. From the tribal lands of the Kalapuya. We are celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander and Wildfire awareness month. Look at the composition of our new board, we aren’t getting far with diversity. Let’s expand from our obvious similarities. and consider: 1. Ability/disability 2. Age 3. Appearance. One legislative concept this session proposed eliminating candidate photographs because of the proven track record of discrimination they enable in the military. 4. Empowerment 5. Ethnicity, Race, & Nationality 6. Gender, sex, and sexuality 7. Spirituality, religion, + Atheism 8. Socioeconomic status Oregon needs to work on inclusion. I am so pleased with the Portland League study on Police Reform and hope that this summer our Leagues will have a strong voice of Civil Discourse that we so need. The Dept of Homeland Security sends alerts. A couple of years ago, the US Civil Rights and Civil Liberties person who keeps in touch told me they were trying hard to shift focus from foreign terrorists to domestic violent extremism. As we look forward to another Oregon summer, I got another heads’ up last week about the creation of a New Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships. Looking ahead, new board Are we optimistic about the future? It is a relief to be coming out from under the pandemic. It will take determined optimism to catch up. I am thrilled to welcome new board and members around Oregon! You make the future bright. You, our delegates and observers, and the members you represent, are a big part of my confidence in the future. I am so proud of you and the work we’re accomplishing. Thank you! Please pace yourselves and pull in help! Mentoring is necessary, welcome new energy to share the joy. We have our work cut out for us. Please keep in touch, and thank you. Becky Gladstone President, LWVOR

As you may have already seen on the front page, LWVOR's 2021 Virtual Convention is next week! Starting Monday, May 10th, we have 5 short days of position discussions (caucuses) and workshops to learn more about our positions on healthcare, childcare, and others, as well as a forestry panel addressing climate change impacts. Following the workshops, the Saturday and Sunday LWVOR Business Sessions are necessary for biennial organization work, adopting program studies, bylaws and budget, and electing officers and board directors. (Skip to the end for a summary) And you're invited! Information you might need: Everything you need is on the Convention 2021 page Caucus and workshop schedule (no registration required) Caucus reading materials and resources Zoom Meeting links Pre-registration links for panels and business sessions Because this is a virtual event, we're doing things a little differently this year. (I'll bet you haven't heard that one before!) First up, we have a few different Zoom meeting rooms. For caucuses and workshops, we have one LWVOR Virtual Meeting room link. Think of this as the "main room" during physical events. A couple of caucuses are being held in Local League meeting rooms. Look out on the schedule for those different Zoom links! These are like little, separate conference rooms you'll move between. We have two panels during Convention: Forests, Fire, and Sustainability, and a Keynote presentation by Kristin Eberhard. Both of those events have SEPARATE links, and you'll need to PRE-REGISTER each one. You'll also find those registration links on the Convention page or further down in this post. And finally, we have two more separate meetings for Business Sessions 1 and 2, held on Saturday and Sunday, the 14th and 15th. Your local league leader should have signed delegates already, and you'll receive an email with the Subject line "Business Session 1/2 Invitation for Observers" with a meeting link for each of the two sessions. Members of the League are welcome and encouraged to register as observers for the business sessions. Observers are allowed to weigh in on discussions and give opinions, but cannot vote. Use this form to register as an observer. This might sound like a lot, but don't worry! Keep an eye on the Convention page and this blog where we'll keep the links hot, fresh, ready for you. During caucuses, you will be able to ask questions in the chat and use the "Raise Hand" feature located in the Reactions tab at the bottom if you'd like to speak. Otherwise, your video will be muted and turned off. You can come and go as you please using the Virtual meeting room link on the Convention page. Caucuses and workshops will be open earlier than the 10 AM start time so you can come in early and get your Zoom set up. Remember, use the Virtual Meeting Room link in this email or on the Convention page. Let's start off with an intro to next week: On Monday morning, May 10th at 10 am we have a Pre-Convention tutorial for you to join before caucuses start. We'll be available to help you out with joining Zoom, how to use chat and reactions like raising your hand, or anything else you need. We will try to make this process as easy as we can! Use this link to join! Next up at 10 am, our first caucus will be Healthcare in America, presented by Bill Walsh, Action Committee Healthcare Coordinator. We have an updated position to share with you. Remember, no registration is required - just open the Zoom link and come on in! If you joined us for the pre-convention tutorial and are already there, just sit tight and we'll come to you. Following right after that will be a caucus on Forestry by Josie Koehne - no need to switch Zoom rooms! LWV of Washington State has a very relevant position on Forestry that Oregon hopes to concur with. See the new position on our website convention page and come into the caucus to share your thoughts. If you're late, no worries - use this Zoom link to the Virtual Meeting room and join! In case you happen to run out of time during the meeting, we've set up a WhatsApp group to continue the conversation! A "WhatsApp group" is like a group text message. Everyone will be able to talk via text-based messages to everyone else! Let's take a peek into the future: Friday at 12 PM: a panel on Forests, Fire, and Sustainability. Preregistration is required - register here! Panelists include: Professor John Bailey from OSU Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Senator Jeff Golden, Oregon Senate District 3 Chandra LeGue, Western Oregon Field Coordinator for Oregon Wild Dr. Andrew Yost, Forest Ecologist with the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Scott Swearingen, Field Support Unit Manager at ODF. Saturday, May 15th, 10 am: Business Session 1 (join Zoom meeting early) Saturday, May 15th, 2 pm: Keynote speaker, Kristen Eberhard, presenting "Democracy - How to make it work better" based on her book Becoming a Democracy. Pre-registration is required - register here! We hope spreading these workshops out over the course of a week keeps the Zoom fatigue to a minimum. Summary - The Convention page has everything you need! - Monday morning, come into the Virtual Meeting room here whenever you like. Pre-convention tutorial at 10 am, Healthcare caucus at 11 am, and Forestry caucus at 12 pm. - Remember to pre-register for the panels on Forests, Fire, and Sustainability or Democracy, How to make it work better. - If you'd like to observe the business sessions on Saturday and Sunday, use this form to register. Hope to see you there!

Dear LWVOR Members, Volunteers all, This is National Volunteer Week and we need to celebrate our collective energy and accomplishments! From my perspective, across the state to all of our local Leagues and Members at Large, as an ad hoc member of almost all state committees, I am uniquely positioned to see the magnitude of our work and the diversity of our issues and efforts. The League of Women Voters of Oregon is formidable! I track our strength through our local Leagues who meet and inspire interest and activism, to our interest groups, the book groups, study committees, from our Advocates who apply the study positions to legislative policy work, to our Voter Services, who inform voters to choose elected officials carefully, and to those who network across leagues around the country, focusing on shared concerns. Thank you to all of you who bring your interest, wisdom, professional experience, vigor, and endurance! This past year has been so challenging! We are organizers, researchers, teachers, even warriors, and this year, we hope we are all survivors. For this Volunteer Week, I offer these inspiring, comforting words from The Book of Joy, by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. A woman asked Archbishop Tutu how she can find joy in her life when there are so many suffering. He replied: "Start where you are, and realize that you are not meant on your own to resolve all of these massive problems. Do what you can. It is catching. Remember that you are not alone and you do not need to finish the work. It helps no one if you sacrifice your joy because others are suffering. We people who care must be attractive, must be filled with joy, so that others recognize that caring, that helping and being generous are not a burden, they are a joy. Give the world your love, your service, your healing, but you can also give it your joy. This, too, is a great gift". I owe you all, we owe each other, and society owes the League a debt of gratitude for the mountains we move. With my warmest thanks, Happy Volunteer Week! p.s. Tongue in cheek—the Titanic was built by paid professionals and Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers. Warm thanks too to our Staff, who routinely go above and beyond! Becky Gladstone President LWVOR

The LWVOR's latest study, Pesticides and Other Biocides, is now available for download! This is a very informational study on the effects of pesticides on multiple areas. Consensus questions will be available soon.

IN THIS ISSUE PRESIDENT’S COLUMN REDISTRICTING UPDATE LWVUS DAY OF ACTION ACTION REPORT JORDAN COVE UPDATE LWVOR CONVENTION NOMINATING COMMITTEE PROGRAM NOTES A COVID SONG DEI LENS Find the printable PDF version of the Voter here! PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Dear members, Here’s to spring, to rejuvenating and recovering as we begin to re-emerge from COVID-19. As I write this, I realize that much of what I want to say belongs at our convention in May, “Reset, Reboot, and Reconnect!” I hope we can have record-breaking attendance, an easy commute! Please keep reading for Spring VOTER news: Redistricting, Nominating Committee, and lots more. I want to emphasize two serious pleas, with more in the related articles: Contact our Nominating Committee ASAP, Norman, Sheila, Jackie, or Jane, to recommend a few more names, including considering newbies with fresh perspectives. Our Action Committee currently needs a Social Policy Director and an Education Coordinator in training. The training and support for this challenging and rewarding work are a plus. Meanwhile, from me to you, the current stresses play out in ways that we may not realize, as damaging “secondary trauma”, like second-hand smoke, needing our attention for ourselves and those around us. Flags are still lowered nationally for one mass shooting as another happens. Partisan political division stymies negotiations and attending to the people’s business in Oregon and around the nation. I’ve heard that partisan pandemic attitudes could benefit from moderating, both taking mask-wearing and distancing more seriously and being more confident in our safeguards. I hope that we can find ways together to re-emerge from the pandemic, continue with our important work, supporting each other and the causes we hold dear. Thank you to our each of you, from being informed to participate and guide others who depend on you as a trusted League source to the specific work many of you do that would not happen without you! Here’s to Teamwork! Late-breaking—The Biocides and Pesticides study is off to the Board for approval! Becky Gladstone, LWVOR President REDISTRICTING UPDATE By Norman Turrill Senate and House redistricting committees were busy in February learning about their redistricting duties. They heard from experts on mapping software, from experts on the Voting Rights Act and preventing discrimination, from the Population Research Center at PSU, and from the Census Bureau. They also heard from Legislative Policy and Research Office about potential alternative data sources for redistricting, and from National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) about how other states are adjusting to the census data delays. The Census Bureau announced February 12 that apportionment data (used by Congress for distributing seats to states) will not be available until about 4/30/21. That is when Oregon will learn for sure if the state will receive a sixth congressional district. The Bureau also announced that it will not deliver to all states the data that is necessary for congressional and legislative redistricting until about Sept. 30, 2021. These dates are a major, major problem for Oregon. The Oregon Constitution says the legislature must complete any redistricting plans by July 1. After the legislature fails, the legislative redistricting process passes to the Oregon Secretary of State, who must complete the redistricting by August 15. However, the SoS will not have the census data by that deadline either. When the legislature fails, the congressional redistricting process will be controlled by ORS 188.125 (a law adopted in 2013 but never used). It currently specifies that a lawsuit challenging congressional redistricting must be filed by August 1. Such a lawsuit would trigger the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court to appoint a panel of five state judges to do the congressional redistricting. However, that now cannot happen without the legislature amending ORS 188.125. Speculation is rampant about how this situation will play out for legislative redistricting. There is talk of an appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus to extend the constitutional deadlines (as was done in California last year), so that the legislative redistricting could be done late in the year by the legislature in a special session. To this end, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Legislative Counsel has hired an outside law firm to research and assess the options to deal with the redistricting timeline created by the census data delay. This law firm may also represent the legislature in any court proceedings, such as an appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court. However, if the courts do not extend the deadlines, the Oregon constitution says, “At the odd-numbered year regular session of the Legislative Assembly next following an enumeration of the inhabitants by the United States Government, the number of Senators and Representatives shall be fixed by law and apportioned among legislative districts according to population.” Since the constitutional deadlines for redistricting will be passed before the census data arrives, does this mean that the legislature will have to wait until 2023 to do the job? Since filings for the 2022 elections start in September, will legislators have to run in the current districts in 2022? Alternative scenarios have emerged on how redistricting could happen this year. Since the Oregon Constitution does not explicitly require the use of census data, either the legislature or the SoS could draw “slapdash” maps based on other data such as DMV driver licenses or utility records, thus meeting their constitutional deadlines. See this House Redistricting hearing for a discussion of such alternative data sources. Such maps would inevitably be challenged in the courts, which would likely result in the SoS being ordered to correct the maps. The SoS would then have up to Dec. 1 to use the delivered census data to redraw the legislative district maps. Alternatively, there is nothing to prevent the legislature from passing new midterm redistricting bills for both congressional and legislative districts. The redistricting committees have set up a new website to help inform and involve the public in their work. They also have asked the League and others to publicize it widely. The two redistricting committees have begun a series of ten hearings focused on each of the five congressional districts of Oregon. Oregon law requires ten hearings before redistricting maps can be drawn and five hearings afterwards. It would be particularly helpful for individuals to testify about what they think are the “communities of common interest” in their area. However, these will likely not be the last opportunity for input into the process. In the meantime, the League has not given up its Positions advocating for an independent citizens redistricting commission or perhaps for an advisory commission as part of the legislative or SoS process. Likewise, the People Not Politicians Oregon coalition is still working to that end and may file a new initiative petition. PNP also filed a motion for summary judgement in its federal court case against Oregon, which is left over from the IP 57 initiative campaign. The PNP coalition is asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon to rule that Oregon violated the U.S. Constitution when it failed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by making reasonable accommodations in its 2020 ballot initiative process. See the media release here. See the motion for summary judgement here and the accompanying exhibits here. LWVUS DAY OF ACTION LWVOR’S REDISTRICTING OUTREACH RAMPS UP: LWVUS National Day of Action, April 29, 2021 By Chris Cobey, LWVOR Governance Specialist (redistricting) As part of the LWVUS’s People Powered Fair Maps (PPFM) initiative, LWVOR will be working in tandem with other groups and organizations to explain the importance and the process of redistricting to Oregon residents in the coming months. Thursday, April 29, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, PPFM national Day of Action activities Redistricting Update and ZOOM discussion (Register here) LWVOR will join with local Oregon Leagues and other groups in sponsoring a Zoom meeting to provide resources to League members and others for understanding the process of redistricting, why it is important to individuals, where the process now stands, how an individual can help shape their state legislative and congressional districts for the next ten years, and to answer questions from participants. IP 57 (People Not Politicians) Chief Petitioner Norman Turrill and others are expected to participate in the discussions. The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the normal delivery date of the US Census Bureau population data the states use to revise their districts. The data is now due by September 30, 2021 -- more than six months later than its normal delivery date. As the Oregon redistricting process is spelled out in our Constitution with deadlines stated in specific months and dates which now cannot be met, the Oregon Supreme Court is currently considering a request of the legislative leaders that the Legislative Assembly be permitted to submit its redistricting plans by December 31, 2021. As this article went to press, the Court has not yet acted on that request. In February, the LWVOR submitted both oral and written testimony to the state House and Senate redistricting committees, explaining the League’s longtime state and national positions on redistricting, and again requesting that the legislature submit a ballot measure requiring the creation of an independent redistricting commission. League members from southern and eastern Oregon, and Portland, have also testified on their views of the process, a commission, and the application of one of the Constitutionally-mandated standards -- “communities of common interest” -- as that standard applied to their own communities. Join us on the evening of April 29 for an education and update on this once-a-decade activity! Further event details available here. ACTION REPORT By Alice Bartelt, LWVOR Action Committee Chair This has been a challenging session of the Legislature. Not being able to attend meetings at the Capitol has meant that our committee members have not been able to develop relationships with the many new legislators that were sworn in prior to the 2021 session. Because the legislative committees are meeting remotely, participation by people across the state has increased dramatically. This may be a sign of things to come. People being able to testify without having to spend time and expense to travel to Salem is a plus. Our coordinators and portfolio chairs are working very hard. Much testimony has already been submitted to the legislature. Most bills must have had a work session scheduled by March 19, and considered by April 13. After that time, many bills will be dead. The Committee hopes that most of our members are reading the parts of the Legislative Report that interest them. The articles take time and energy to put together. Changes to the format were made in a effort to make the publication more user-friendly. Readers may now just read the items that are of interest to them. It is a privilege to work with such an energetic group of people. The committee meets once a week, and there are often as many as twenty folks attending. There are still areas that we would like to have followed, so more folks monitoring and reporting on bills are most welcome. Because there is no reason to have to go to Salem, even after the Capitol is reopened, new volunteers are encouraged. Hearings can be viewed online, and all testimony is submitted electronically. So, if there is an issue that a member is interested in, the Action Committee would welcome you. JORDAN COVE UPDATE By Shirley Weathers, LWV Rogue Valley Lots to report since the last issue. First, the long-awaited decision by the federal Department of Commerce on Oregon’s objection to Jordan Cove’s Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) certification came down in favor of Oregon on February 8! This makes two key state permit strikes against the project’s ability to be constructed. The first strike happened on January 19, when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected project owner Pembina’s charge that Oregon waived its authority to issue the Section 401 Water Quality Permit. That means that Oregon’s denial of that important permit stands, too. Despite FERC’s flawed authorizations of the Jordan Cove LNG and export facilities and Pacific Connector Pipeline in March 2020, the Order nonetheless mandates that all required permits must be obtained or construction can’t begin. Pembina has been steadily losing ground on that score. In fact, they haven’t had a victory since then. The LWVRV and three other local Leagues that have been collaboratively opposing Jordan Cove over the years (Coos, Umpqua, and Klamath) wrote a letter to the Governor and Attorney General Rosenblum earlier this month, thanking both for their defense of Oregon against this harmful project and for the diligent and competent work of their staffs on which their decisions are based. While not the only factors, these last two losses are central to serious negative indicators in the Canadian company’s Quarter 4 Report. Pembina was forced to take a C$350 million write-down on the project, as well as to reframe their previously optimistic public messaging about it. “In light of current regulatory and political uncertainty, Pembina recognized an impairment in its investment in Jordan Cove and is evaluating the path forward.” Financial and fossil fuel sites are taking note of all of this with headlines such as “Pembina 'sadly' can no longer predict when Jordan Cove LNG will be built in US” and “Pembina eyes near-term Canada opportunities after US LNG project challenges.” One site observed flatly, “Jordan Cove has suffered too many regulatory defeats.” They have not thrown in the towel, but their pathway forward looks at least improbable at this point. Returning to the CZMA decision, it also exemplifies the dramatic and horribly overdue shift with respect to federal consideration of tribal communities. JCEP officials’ failure to deal appropriately with Native American leaders has been noted by the League and others over the years, but in upholding Oregon’s denial of the Coastal Zone Management Act certification, the decision specifically noted that the project developer had fallen far short of its obligations to consider impacts on cultural and historical tribal resources. "[E]ach of the responding tribes noted their disappointment with the degree to which they had received government-to-government consultations," as is required under tribal sovereignty agreements. Then on February 18, Governor Brown wrote to the new FERC Chair, Richard Glick, requesting that the agency “provide for meaningful consultation with Oregon’s federally recognized Tribes regarding the Jordan Cove Energy Project,” including inviting any Oregon Tribe to be a signatory to the project’s Section 106 Programmatic Agreement. Heretofore, FERC has offered only the lesser “concurring party” status to tribes. Brown indicated that this and other prior actions fall short of appropriate and meaningful government-to-government relationship with the tribes. LWVOR CONVENTION SAVE THE DATE: LWV Oregon 2021 Biannual Convention, Reset! Reboot! Reconnect!, will be held over the week of May 10 through 16. This will be a virtual event. We will spread workshops, caucuses, invited speakers and the plenary throughout the week. Each day will be limited to three to five hours, so as not to overwhelm our online time. Caucuses and workshops will be early in the week, with the plenary towards the end. We hope that many local members will be able to attend portions of the convention, even if they are not formally a delegate. If a local league is planning a caucus, please inform the state office. More here: https://www.lwvor.org/lwvor-convention-2021 NOMINATING COMMITTEE By Norman Turrill, Nominating Committee Chair The LWVOR Nominating Committee urgently requests suggestions now for future state League leaders. Suggestions can be either other members or self-nominations. The LWVOR Bylaws require the Nominating Committee to present a slate of officers and directors to be elected at the 2021 LWVOR Convention. These positions include President, First Vice-president, Secretary, three Board members, and three elected members of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will also be on the look-out for members who can be recommended to the Board to fill board and off-board positions, particularly a budget chair. Please send your suggestions to committee Chair Norman Turrill at n.turrill@lwvor.org. PROGRAM NOTES By Sheila McGinnis, Program Chair In preparation for the 2021 LWVOR State Convention, local Leagues completed their review of current state positions on issues to assess whether LWVOR positions are sufficient for advocacy on critical issues. The Program Review Committee—Alice Bartelt, Marge Easley, Barbara Klein, Betsy Pratt, and Sheila McGinnis— reviewed local League’s materials to develop program recommendations for the next two years, and their recommendations were reviewed by the state Board. Thank you! to the many members who worked on local recommendations and developing proposals--you are helping to chart LWVOR’s future path. Several topics were identified related to voting methods, nuclear energy, forest management, and childcare, and will serve to inform potential studies, position adoption by concurrence, and position amendments. The state Board considered the Committee’s report at its March meeting and will submit their final 2021-2023 Program recommendation for member approval at the May convention. Watch for more information in upcoming convention updates. The two study teams are continuing their work on the 2019-2021 Program. The Pesticides Study team has finalized its report and is preparing consensus questions for state Board approval. The next step is to plan the consensus process, including how to handle the still-present coronavirus contingencies. The Cybersecurity Study team is continuing its work towards national concurrence. With advice from LWVUS program staff, they are developing plans to engage other states. A COVID SONG: "LET IT GO! LET IT GO!" From Kim Scott of Deschutes County: This song came about because I was asked to come up with a version of a Christmas song with league and Covid thoughts/ideas in the wording. My son and I enjoy making up different wording to songs so this is what we did one evening! Sent by Carol Loesche, president of the LWV of Deschutes Co, OR. Let it Go, Let it Go (tune of 'Let it Snow') Oh, the COVID outside is frightful I find patterns on masks delightful, And since we're on lock down low Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Covid, it's just not stopping But the vaccines will soon be dropping. Waiting so long just blows Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! When we finally say good night How we hate going out in the storm. But if we keep on fighting for rights. Here let me help you with that form Somedays they got me crying Last year has us all just sighing 2020 put on quite a show Let it go, let it go, let it go. DEI LENS A DEI lens is a way of examining a program, a process, a product, etc., with regards to how it is perceived by a variety of communities, voices, and perspectives, and what, if any, barriers may exist that is preventing it from being equitable or inclusive of everyone. What To Ask When Examining Your Work Through a DEI Lens Who is involved in the process? Are key stakeholders meaningfully included? Is this work that impacts a group or community? If so, is their voice represented? How diverse is the group of decision-makers? Is it diverse enough? Who will be impacted? Who benefits from this? Who is burdened by this? Does this help us meet the needs of underserved voters? Have we considered various, specific marginalized groups and how they might be impacted? What are the intended and unintended outcomes? What issue are we trying to solve? What do we hope will happen? What are the potential negative impacts? Who could be hurt by this? What data or evidence supports this? How might this be perceived by others? Does this align with our vision for an equitable and inclusive organization? How is equity addressed? What barriers might this place in the way of achieving equity? How does this impact the League’s culture? What changes could be made to make this more equitable? What are the short term goals? What are the long term goals? What, if any, policies or bylaws need to be added or amended? What are the benefits for members? What are the benefits for partners and/or members of the community?

Redistricting In Oregon Join us on April 29 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm for our People Powered Day of Action event! As part of the LWVUS’s People Powered Fair Maps (PPFM) initiative, LWVOR will be working in tandem with other groups and organizations to explain the importance and the process of redistricting to Oregon residents in the coming months. On Thursday, April 29, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, as part of PPFM national Day of Action activities, LWVOR will join with local Oregon Leagues and other groups in sponsoring a Zoom meeting to provide resources to League members and others for understanding the process of redistricting, why it is important to individuals, where the process now stands, how an individual can help shape their state legislative and congressional districts for the next ten years, and to answer questions from participants. LWVOR President Becky Gladstone and IP 57 (People Not Politicians) Chief Petitioner Norman Turrill are expected to participate in the discussions. Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqfuigqD0sE9RyVH7kLFHGQ3yittLuxLuA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Questions? Contact lwvor@lwvor.org.

Your First Chance To Be Heard Personally On Redistricting! Date: March 6, 2021 To: All League Members From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President Norman Turrill, LWVOR Governance Coordinator Chris Cobey, LWVOR Redistricting Specialist Next Tuesday evening, Oregon state House and Senate redistricting committees will commence a series of ten public hearings – two for each of Oregon’s five congressional districts – to hear from you. Where do you think your community district lines should be drawn? What does your ideal congressional or legislative district look like? Why? What “community of common interest” represents you? What kind of a district do you not want your neighborhood placed in? Hearings start March 9, schedules are here and in this linked flyer. Read LWVOR’s written testimony or verbal testimony, here at 39:00. You can testify from home, submit written testimony – or both. It’s pretty easy! Follow suggestions to submit written testimony. Instructions for presenting live remote verbal testimony are in each hearing agenda. Remind legislators – verbally, in writing, or both – of the long-standing LWVOR and LWVUS goal to use independent Citizens’ Redistricting Commissions in this process – and now is a great time to refer a constitutional amendment to voters for that. Suggest using the very common legislative option, a citizens’ advisory committee. Contact Chris Cobey (he/him/his; redistricting@lwvor.org, 650.743.5653) with any questions.

Becky Gladstone President, LWVOR See the Oregon Vote By Mail Procedures Manual, from this page with other manuals and tutorials. This is from the state Elections Division: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4YFMJn2MNs Also, these: Video, “How Ballots are processed in Lane County, Oregon”. https://vimeo.com/269755185 Video, “Maintaining Voter Privacy with the Optional Secrecy Sleeve”, Multnomah County Elections: https://youtu.be/XD_KlcI5FPs BEST PRACTICES What are the best practices for the following sections in operating a vote by mail infrastructure? Request a mail-in ballot Oregon is VBM so all ballots are mail-in. to replace a ballot, see ballot help: If your ballot arrives damaged, you make a mistake, spill something, lose your ballot, or for any other reason, contact your county elections office for a replacement ballot. Observing the counting process Oregon supports unparalleled transparency. Contact your county elections office to observe the election process. See the VBM Manual, p. 22, and the Election Law Summary Manual, p. 20. I can send our Observer Training PPT, needs updating, underway. Deadlines for receiving and postmarks for ballots? Varies by state. Oregon, by 8pm on election day: received in the mail, into dropboxes/drop sites, or delivered to the County Elections offices. Late arriving ballots are not counted. We encourage and hammer with heavy publicity to get ballots in. Campaigns and political parties call daily, using daily ballot return reports from elections, to get ballots in. Counting Timelines When do they start counting and when must counting be completed? Ballot counting in Lane County, Oregon usually starts the Friday before election day. NO results are ever released before polling closes. Counting continues until completed on election day. That is not the same as election certification, determined by statute. See our 2021 election calendar for state statute references. Use the Oregon Revised Statute (law) look-up link from UO Law. Elections law is Chapter 260. Harder to navigate and the official source to cite is Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS). Prepare to count- How many people are needed, how are these people trained? See Oregon Vote by Mail Procedures Manual. Experienced staff usually just needs a review, otherwise a day, half-day to train. How are drop box locations determined? Se VBM Manual, p. 10 for drop box security. See Oregon drop box locator. Drop site requirements are in statute. Training people for signature matching, creating signature matching procedures? See VBM Manual under Staffing, p. 36. Securing the ballots before, during and after counting? What are the top 5 reasons people’s ballots are rejected? Per our state Elections Director, 2 big reasons- ballot isn’t signed or signature doesn’t match. How are voters notified if there is a “problem” with their ballot and what processes are in place to allow voters to remedy the “problem”? If voters share contact info, county elections will call or email. Problematic since this is public info and voters now don’t want the spam. Track with ballot tracker, need to verify if it can notify for problems. What are the key considerations when operating a vote by mail infrastructure to ensure all votes are counted? 1. Voter Registration: publicize widely and remind often because if voters aren’t registered, they can’t vote. Our #MotorVoter through the DMV is not perfect. We haven’t gotten back to address party registration online, currently a separate, easily overlooked postcard. Our nonaffiliated voters because drivers’ licenses are renewed every 2. Ballot Mailing Alerts: tell voters when ballots are being mailed, to contact their county elections’ offices if they haven’t gotten theirs. 3. Track Your Ballot Encourage voters to sign up for ballot tracker, or whatever program your area may use, to track their ballots, from mailed, to received, to counted. Here in CA, Multnomah CO, OR, King CO WA. 4. Deadline pushing- Ballots must be received by deadlines, in Oregon by 8pm on election day-postmarks don’t help, and now, with pre-paid envelopes, our state Elections Director cautions that there will not be postmarks anyway. Be sure to use realistic mail processing time, longer if post offices have closures (we did a few years ago). 5. Secure Procedures See the videos and Manuals for thorough safety protocols to control location oversight, tracking, redundant staff review, always having political party inclusion in each team with everyone stopping together for meal or rest room breaks, etc. Who are key allies for this issue? Do they include groups representing communities of color, the disability community, etc.? ACLU, political parties, even though they do not work directly with LWV. Disability Rights Oregon are very active but strictly advocating for their limited constituency, not for benefit of voters overall. more directly the State Library, TBABS, Talking Books and Braille Services for vision related concerns. Very important, those advocating for current ballot measures, eg League of Conservation Voters, education communities, etc. What research or data can you share to show that vote by mail has actually increased turnout, especially among underrepresented groups? See The SoS Election Statistics page for general, primary, special election turnout and ballot return history since 2000. OR VBM statistics, a comprehensive history, up to 2006. Please explain your public education messaging on how to vote by mail: Is there any type of messages or methods that seemed effective when explaining to the general public on how to vote-by-mail? Oregon started VBM in the early 1980s, gradually, for local special elections. Please see the videos; messaging has evolved. How did you measure its effectiveness? During the implementation of all-mail elections in your state, what were some of the challenges advocates for all-mail elections had to overcome? Vote by mail, automatic voter registration, pre-paid ballot postage, pre-registration for younger voters, all have been opposed, sometimes invoking vulnerability to voter fraud. No one has been able to validate those concerns. From NPR, 2018, "If and when a bank gets robbed or a car gets stolen, we don't stop using banks or cars. We enforce the laws we have in place." How should advocates for all-mail elections prepare for these challenges? Encourage elections offices to prepare ASAP: Establish needs (quantity, cost, time, and materials’ availability), for paper, printing, processing and staffing/labor needs. Equipment needs to be in place and compatible, with staff trained to use it. We are concerned that our veteran pollworking crew, many older and notably vulnerable to COVID-19, may not be available. Coordinate a publicity campaign with trustworthy branding, multi-faceted outreach to various communities and media, especially social media. Include partners like the Dept of ED, youth groups, League, ACLU, disability and minority voters rights’ groups, Chambers of Commerce, City Clubs, etc. Oregon has compiled election statistics from 1992-2018, for cost per ballot (received), and per voter with turnout. These notes were assembled quickly and more information is available. – Becky Gladstone, LWVOR

This post was originally published on The Center Square. By Tim Gruver | The Center Square (The Center Square) — Oregon ranks among the easiest states to vote in, and state lawmakers want that to be true for everyone behind bars too. For almost 20 years, the vote-by-mail state continues to see some of the highest voter turnout in the country. In 2020, 78.5% of Oregon voters cast 2.3 million votes or the most in state history. A bill this session would include the state's more than 12,000 prisoners among them. Sponsored by Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, Senate Bill 571 would allow the state's more than 12,000 convicted felons to register to vote, update their voter registration, and vote from prison using their last residential address. SB 571 has big backing already from the ACLU of Oregon, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, the League of Women Voters of Oregon, and Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. "My agency's job is to uphold Oregon's democracy," Fagan said. "This bill stands for the simple proposition that when somebody is incarcerated, they don't stop being citizens." Maine and Vermont remain the only two states in America where prisoners can vote while incarcerated in addition to the District of Columbia. Though Oregon does not disenfranchise released prisoners, research including one University of California Berkeley study found that whether a released prisoner had voting rights decreased risk of recidivism by about 10%. Supporters of the bill see it as overdue racial justice rectifying the country's centuries of racial disenfranchisement. English colonists brought with them to North America the common law practice of “civil death,” criminal penalties which included stripping someone of voting rights. Connecticut was the only state 200 years ago to legalize the practice. By the beginning of the Civil War, 17 states followed. Once slavery was abolished, another 10 states joined them. Prior to statehood in 1859, Oregon was the only U.S. territory to ban Black individuals from its borders all together. Samantha Gladu, executive director of civic action group Next Up Action, told state lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the bill is an essential civil rights issue. "This is a big bill, but it's not scary," Gladu said. "To continue to delineate who we restore rights to based on sentencing is a failure to recognize the unimpeachable rights that we all have as citizens." State Department of Corrections data shows Latinos amount for 12% of the state, but make up 16% of its prison population while white people make up 78% of the state and 69% of its inmates. Black people still see the highest disparities, making up 2% of the state and 10% of its prisoners. Some research also suggests felony disenfranchisement deters ex-felons from voting as many remain unaware of their eligibility, often deterring those around them from political participation. As the authors of a Stanford report on the matter wrote, "disenfranchisement not only impacts the felons themselves, but also disempower the group to which they belong." Of the more than 60 people submitting written testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, most supported the bill, but many argued restoring voting rights to prisoners would diminish the purpose of imprisonment: punishment. "Allowing convicted felons to have the right to vote while incarcerated removes one the fundamental punishments for breaking the law in America," wrote concerned citizen Carolyn Polzel. "The right to vote is sacred and should be held at the highest value. Allowing incarcerated criminals this right decreases the value of the right to vote." State Rep. Khanh Pham, D-Portland, shared the view of many testifying that prisons should be preparing prisoners for freedom, of which civic engagement is a critical part. "The ability to vote while incarcerated reminds people that they are still meaningful members of society, and it encourages them towards civic participation," Pham said. "Incarcerated folks are directly impacted by elections, from their meals to their medical care to the school districts that their children attend, the laws that we create." Others preferred a system restoring voting rights to certain prisoners depending on the reason for their incarceration. "This kind of bargaining would once again be denying humanity, autonomy and citizenship of incarcerated community members," Gladu said. Proponents of the bill also believe it would allow state laws to better reflect a 1996 amendment to the Oregon Constitution, which maintains "laws for the punishment of crimes" be guided by principles of "protection of society, personal responsibility, accountability for one’s actions and reformation." "We know that the civic engagement model of reentry, one that involves community through service and restorative justice, works far better than forcing inmates to undergo 'civil death,'" wrote Rebecca Gladstone and Marge Easley of the League of Women Voters of Oregon. On Wednesday, SB 571 had picked up 16 sponsors including Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Floyd Prozanksi, D-Eugene.

Secretary of state, advocates say it would end voter confusion over when to mail them back. This article was originally posted on Pamplin Media. Oregon, the nation's first state to conduct all elections by mail, would join the ranks of other states to accept ballots postmarked by election day under legislation heard Thursday, Feb. 11. House bills 2226 and 2687, heard by the House Rules Committee, are nearly identical, except that HB 2226 by Rep. Marty Wilde, D-Eugene, would allow third-party collection of ballots only on election day itself. Oregon now requires mail ballots to be in the hands of county elections officials by 8 p.m. election day. Postmarks do not count, unlike the practice in Washington, California, Nevada, 11 other states and Washington, D.C., according to a 2020 report by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Four other states require a postmark the day before the election. Under the proposed change, county officials would have to receive postmarked ballots no later than seven days after the election. States with similar laws have differing deadlines. A count for the Nov. 3 general election is not final, but in Oregon's 2016 and 2018 general elections, nearly half a million of the ballots ultimately counted were turned in on the final day, either by mail or drop boxes maintained by the 36 counties. Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, the state's chief elections officer, says it's time to end the confusion. "We've all seen it every election cycle," Fagan said at a hearing. "The news media, the county clerks, the secretary of state's office, people in organizations, various people just guessing have to constantly estimate when is the unofficial last day to mail your ballot. It just creates confusion typically on those last five days before an election." Rep. Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, the chief sponsor of HB 2687, said 130 voters in Marion County alone cast ballots that did not count because they were received after the Nov. 3 election. "That is what this bill is trying to solve," he said. Under Oregon law, ballots are mailed to voters 14 to 18 days before the election date. Because of uncertainties raised about the reliability of the U.S. Postal Service — although USPS said in a year-end report that it delivered 99.89% of mail from voters to elections officials on time — more than the usual number of voters returned their ballots early. "We can and do encourage people to vote early," Isabela Villareal, who spoke for the Next Up Action Project, said. "But that really does not solve the problem. "We know of Oregonians who become nonvoters and do not cast their ballots," Villareal, who spoke for the former Bus Project, said. "They think they are too late to mail their ballots. and dropping off their ballots is a barrier due to mobility, transportation, lack of available drop-off locations, and confusion over mailing deadlines." Among the organizations endorsing HB 2687 were the League of Women Voters of Oregon and the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon. Although she did not testify at the hearing, Gov. Kate Brown — herself a former secretary of state — identified election-day postmarks in her state of the state address as one of her three priorities to expand access to voting. The others are election-day voter registration, which is proposed in House Joint Resolution 11, and use of information from agencies other than the Driver and Motor Vehicle (DMV) Services Division to register voters automatically. Many Oregonians do not drive or own cars. (That bill was not up for a hearing.) House Joint Resolution 11, which requires a statewide election, would amend the Oregon Constitution to remove the 20-day deadline that voters put there in 1986. They did so after the attempted Rajneeshee takeover in Wasco County, although county and state officials managed to thwart irregular voter registrations. Oregon had election-day voter registration from 1977 to 1985, when lawmakers changed the deadline to the day before an election. Also heard by the committee in addition to election-day postmarks and the constitutional change was House Bill 2679, which would allow some 17-year-olds to vote in party primaries if they turn 18 by the general election and if the political party they affiliate with allows them to do so by rule. Rep, Jack Zika, R-Redmond, asked what would happen to election timelines if the Legislature allows for election-day postmarked ballots to count. Zika won his 2018 primary by just two votes of around 7,500 cast. Rayfield said he would propose a technical amendment to his bill to adjust the timelines. Yamhill County Clerk Brian Van Bergen, speaking for nonpartisan county elections officials, expressed reservations about the proposed changes. Democrats command supermajorities in both chambers, so they can pass them without Republican votes. They can only refer a constitutional change to voters, however. "We don't think the system is broken," Van Bergen said in response to a question by House Republican Leader Christine Drazan of Canby, who sits on the House Rules Committee. "We think there are opportunities for improvement." pwong@pamplinmedia.com

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1/21/2021 The original Action Alert was issued by LWVUS. Please follow the links to take action. Dear League members, In 2019, we celebrated the passage of HR1, the For the People Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. This sweeping piece of legislation is the most expansive democracy reform agenda we have seen since the Voting Rights Act, but back then it never got to the President's desk. With the start of the 117th Congress it is imperative that the For the People Act once more become a top priority. We must get this bold, transformative set of reforms to strengthen our democracy and return political power to the people over the finish line, but we cannot do it without your help! The For the People Act is the democracy reform bill the American people want and deserve. This legislation will put power back into the hands of American voters by making voting easier and more accessible and by modernizing future elections. It's up to us to speak up for what's right. Contact your Representative* and ask them to champion the For the People Act. The For the People Act addresses some of the most pressing issues facing our democracy. From restoring the Voting Rights Act, modernizing our voter registration system, updating the public financing of elections through small donor matching funds, ending partisan gerrymandering, and making campaign contributions more transparent, this bill will put control of our government back into the hands of the people. As an organization with a mission of empowering voters and defending democracy, the League of Women Voters is proud to support the For the People Act. We have fought for HR1 for the last two years and will not give up the fight any time soon. It is time to put power back in the hands of the American people. Tell Congress to pass the For the People Act as a first order of business in the new administration. Tell your Representative how important this reform package is to the future of our democracy. Contact your Representative* TODAY and implore them to support the reintroduction of the For the People Act. Yours in the fight, Virginia Kase CEO

1/14/2021 The League can help with the legal definitions for the 1/6/21 acts being discussed. These are rarely cited for the usually dignified US transition of power. It is important to understand the gravity of these acts to our democratic republic and the penalties to those participating. We want to focus here on attacks to our Capitol(s). Many are questioning the lack of police preparedness and coordination on 1/6/21, contrasting it to last summer’s BLM protests. Now, coordinated and adequate protection must be quickly arranged for the inauguration and beyond. Legal experts distinguish between higher level and lesser individual crimes being investigated, in DC and around the country, as reports expose threats of violence in the next few days. Big picture, or high crimes: TREASON is defined in US Code, Title 18, Section 2381. Note, war has not been declared. Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States. RIOT is defined in US Code, Title 18, Section 2102 The 1/6/21 events were closer to insurrection. INSURRECTION an attempt to overthrow the authority of the federal government, using force to resist and subvert defined in US Code, Title 18, Section 2383 as: Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten an insurrection years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States. DOMESTIC TERRORISM This is more serious. Here’s the FBI statement on the US Capitol violence and their summarized definition of domestic terrorism (our annotations): (1) violent, criminal acts (we can all agree that what happened was violent since people were hurt and killed) (2) committed by individuals and/or groups (the attack involved hundreds of individuals who breached security of the U.S. Capitol) (3) to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature (There should also be little doubt that this was to further a political ideology since there was massive amounts of signs, flags, and social media posts expressing these people’s intention and ideology.) (4) against its own citizens. (And finally, the people within the building were primarily citizen legislators, staff, and personnel.) The U.S. PATRIOT ACT was written to deter and punish domestic terrorists. Acts of domestic terrorism are defined in Section 802: (A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State (B) appear to be intended – (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping and (C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY This relevant national security statute is used very rarely and some of last week’s actions seem to pertain. See the US Code Title 18, Section 2384: Criminal disruption of government proceedings by individuals: If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both. From LWVPDX Leadership: "Despite the violent and frightening interruption to Congress’s mandated task of certifying the electors’ votes for president and vice president, our elected representatives returned to their constitutional duty, completing their task in the middle of the night. The rule of law prevailed. We thank them." Individual crimes being investigated from 1/6/21 Criminal law experts note these individual 1/6/21 crimes. Ongoing investigations may include others: · Unlawful entry, possibly trespass · Felony theft and destruction of property · Assault on law enforcement officers or others, for example journalists in Salem · Communicating threats · The pipe bombs found · Attempted murder and deaths as a direct result If coordination between individuals in these crimes is found, additional penalties may apply. Some elected officials may have been involved. For them, being barred from serving in public office may apply. The League of Women Voters values peaceful political expression. It is the core of our mission. The violence, deadly and disruptive at the US Capitol last week prompted unprecedented League statements: The LWVUS condemned the domestic terrorist attack on the US Capitol and called for the immediate removal of President Trump. Violence is wrong. Those bringing it must be held accountable. From LWVUS leadership: "The League condemns the attack for what it was: domestic terrorism. We call on all members of Congress to respect the certification process, condemn the actions of these terrorists, and support a peaceful inauguration on January 20th." From LWVOR: We grieve for the violation of our US Capital and the heritage it embodies for our republic. We call for respect of our Constitutional processes, accountability for criminal actions, and for safety, for reliable protection of our public servants and for the work we have given them to do. The League of Women Voters, now entering our second century, celebrates our legacy of informing voters. We thank voters for the historic voter turnout rates around the country. The LWVOR will continue to encourage other states to share our automatic voter registration, and safe and secure Vote-by-Mail practices. We call for a peaceful transition, with respect for the election results and the will of the people. Please be safe, everyone.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT Rebecca Gladstone, President, LWVOR lwvor@lwvor.org, 503.581.5722, lwvor.org [Salem, Oregon] – The League of Women Voters of Oregon champions the importance of counting every ballot. We call on Oregon voters to “cure” challenged ballots, those set aside in our elections offices with problems. Oregon’s County Clerks mail letters or postcards to voters whose ballots cannot be processed, most often for lack of a signature. Ballots can still be counted if elections offices receive corrections within Oregon’s two-week extension deadline of November 17th, one reason Oregon statute allows 30 days to officially certify election results. Oregon voters should check first with County Elections Officials. For more help, our national #866OurVote Election Protection Hotline: 866.687.8683 can be reached 9am-9pm Eastern time, with state-by-state specific answers. Thousands of volunteers nationally are working in earnest under deadlines now. You may be transferred directly to experts in Oregon. Deadlines for ballot corrections vary not only by state but within jurisdictions. Others should check their state’s ballot cure deadlines; Georgia’s was today. See CNN’s Ballot Curing explained, with deadlines. We are proud of Oregon’s legacy of first statewide Vote by Mail, automatic “MotorVoter” registration, voter-verifiable paper ballots, postage paid ballot envelopes, and progress with risk-limiting audits. In 2016 over 28,000 Oregon ballots, between 0.2-1.0%, were challenged, mostly because voters failed to sign the outer envelopes. Bill Burgess, Marion County Clerk, reported two weeks ago: “So far, about 800 Marion County voters have been notified of signature mismatch issues, and about 100 didn’t sign their ballot envelopes”. LWVOR is sharing the 24-page Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions from OSCE, an international election observers’ team, which conducted an extensive interview on our experience with Oregon’s elections. OSCE has observed a number of US election cycles and this team was one of 15 traveling around the country. The Oregon League has sent election observers to other countries but we have not been interviewed here before. The report includes problems persisting from earlier reports. Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President: “The League of Women Voters of Oregon will be addressing concerns raised in the international observers’ report. We advocate for many facets of elections, from civics education to improved voter registration, candidate filing software and improved geospatial elections districting. We look forward to working with our recently elected Legislature and the incoming Secretary of State to address this election’s challenges including COVID and wildfires.” ###

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