PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Dozens of county election officials across the state are preparing for special district elections on May 16 after Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced on Tuesday that she is resigning from her position.
Despite Fagan’s announcement, officials tell KOIN 6 that ballots are already heading to mailboxes and the election is expected to move forward as planned.
Clackamas County has already mailed out about 310,000 ballots and Washington County has mailed out about 390,000. Dan Forester, Washington County’s elections manager, said Washington County has already received 4% of their ballots.
“The 36 counties have all done a lot of work to earn voter trust in creating a smooth, transparent process,” said Dan Forester, Washington County’s elections manager.
Beyond local municipalities and counties, one of the responsibilities of the Oregon Secretary of State is to oversee elections, but McMullen said Fagan’s resignation will not affect the election.
“Our elections are conducted at the county level, and then we follow state rules and regulations. This is conducted by your county clerks and your elections managers,” she said.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the Oregon Elections Division staff and all 36 county elections officials are fully prepared to head the May 16 election, and Deputy Secretary Cheryl Myers can step in as needed.
“Voting by mail is a smooth, transparent process,” Forester said. “They should have confidence that we have it well in hand. Any events happening at the state level won’t have any impact in how the election is administered.”
After Fagan officially steps down on May 8, Deputy Myers will take on oversight until a new secretary is appointed.
Stay with KOIN 6 as this story develops.