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Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Clerk Catherine McMullen Shares How Your Vote is Protected Throughout the Entire Election Process
Oregon City, OR – Clackamas County Clerk Catherine McMullen shares a short video about election integrity and how citizens’ votes are protected throughout the entire election process, from voter registration to reporting results.
Transcript of video:
Hello, I’m Catherine McMullen, your County Clerk and local election administrator here in Clackamas County, and I’d like to show you how your vote is protected throughout the entire process.
First, every voter registration application goes through many levels of review before a citizen can become a voter; this ensures that only eligible citizens can participate in our elections. In Oregon, every registered voter will receive a ballot in the mail a few weeks before the election. Make sure to mail your ballot back so that it is postmarked no later than Election Day, or drop it in an official ballot drop box, before 8 p.m. on Election Day.
When it comes to the ballots themselves, our process is the same for every voter, every time; every ballot goes through the same rigorous review. Every signature is carefully checked against the voter registration record before a ballot can be accepted and processed.
As a voter, you can sign up for Track Your Ballot to know when your ballot is received and signature verified by our office. If a signature does not match, you will be notified through Track Your Ballot and a mailed letter so you can take action to have your vote counted.
And when it’s time to count, we make sure every eligible vote is accurately counted and carefully verified before unofficial results are published online. To ensure accurate results, we use high-speed tabulators and reconcile during each step of the process to help us double-check tabulation with bipartisan teams to ensure integrity in the process before unofficial results are posted online on election night.
Every ballot is carefully handled the same way. Afterwards, a post-election audit is conducted with the paper ballots, and ballots are safely stored for up to 22 months.
Join us as an observer this election or as a temporary election worker in a future election to see the process firsthand. It's a great way to see how our elections are safe and secure -- and how we protect your vote.
No matter the outcome, you can trust our elections because we work hard to ensure every eligible vote is counted accurately. Thank you for your continued trust and participation, and don’t forget to VOTE and return your ballot to an official ballot drop site before 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 5!
For more voter information about the upcoming election, visit Ready. Set. VOTE! A Voter’s Guide to the November 5, 2024 General Election (available in English plus six languages). To learn more on voting and elections in Clackamas County, visit clackamas.us/elections.
Contacts: Catherine McMullen, County Clerk and Justin Larsen, Elections Manager | countyclerk@clackamas.us or 503-655-8510