Secretary Read Kicks Off Oregon Votes Town Hall Series in Bend

Today, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read joined with state and local elected leaders in Bend for the first Oregon Votes Town Hall leading up to the November general election.

The panel answered questions from Oregonians about how the state is prepared to defend vote-by-mail elections and what the public can do to help amid ongoing unconstitutional attacks from the federal government.

Bend-area legislators Sen. Anthony Broadman, Rep. Emerson Levy, and Rep. Jason Kropf were also on the panel, as well as Deschutes County Clerk Steve Dennison.

"Oregonians across the state are worried about the federal government's repeated attempts to control who gets to vote. Those concerns are valid - it is unprecedented to have a sitting president actively trying to undermine an ongoing election," Secretary Read said. "But let me be clear: We will have a free and fair election this November, and I want to make sure Oregonians are prepared to vote and that their votes get counted accurately."

One step that all Oregon voters can take right now is to make a plan to vote.

Eligible Oregonians who are not registered must do so by October 13, and voters already registered should confirm their status on OregonVotes.gov/myvote. Only active registered voters will be mailed a ballot.

The Secretary of State's office strongly recommends voters return their ballot at one of the hundreds of secure, official ballot drop boxes located across the state. If a voter needs to use mail, they should put their ballot in the mailbox no later than October 27.

Secretary Read will continue the Oregon Votes Town Hall series with several stops in the coming weeks. Dates and locations for upcoming town halls include:

• Gresham, Multnomah County - September 8
• North Bend, Coos County - September 24
• Medford, Jackson County - September 29
• Portland, Multnomah County - October 6

A recording of the town hall is available here.