Full press conference: State officials give update on election integrity, voter turnout

[0:00] Good afternoon. Welcome. Welcome to PSU, and thank you for spending part of your election day here at PSU. [0:09] Here at Oregon's Urban Research University, we care deeply about our students making their voices heard. [0:16] We serve more eligible students than any other university in the state. [0:21] We're the most racially and ethnically diverse university in Oregon. [0:26] Many of our students have children, many are holding down jobs, and most of them will continue to live and work in the region after they graduate. [0:38] Our students are impacted by policy decisions and the outcomes of elections, and they vote. [0:46] But perhaps more importantly, I am proud that PSU is a place for critical dialogue about some of the most pressing issues of our time. [0:55] And I'm proud that PSU is a place where we can all learn to be more civically engaged. [1:02] This year, we're hyper-focused on civic engagement opportunities for our students. [1:08] We've hosted voter registration tabling events, provided online and in-person reminders, [1:15] and even brought out the big dogs, including Missy, a Labrador, who loves squeaky toys. [1:21] Missy came to our Puppies to the Polls event with Portland's League of Women Voters. [1:28] We're also participating in the Secretary of State's Campus Voting Challenge. [1:33] I've signed the higher education president's commitment to full student voter participation. [1:39] In short, we're all in for democracy. [1:43] So thank you to our esteemed guests for joining us today, and let's get out the vote. [1:50] And now, I'm happy to turn it over to Senator Wyden. [1:53] Thank you, Madam President. [1:55] And I'm going to make this a filibuster-free zone, folks, and just have a few quick comments. [2:02] First, I'm very pleased to be here with our Secretary of State, Tobias Reid, and Attorney General Dan Rayfield. [2:08] They are, in my view, the Damian Lillard and LeBron James of public service. [2:14] And I'll note for reporters, just so the record is clear, as Secretary Reid said last week, [2:20] that his name is spelled R-E-A-D, as in read our lips today, Donald Trump. [2:31] By mail has proven for more than three decades to be a reliable, safe, and convenient way for Oregonians [2:39] to make their election choices in our state. [2:43] And I will tell you that our history is a bipartisan one. [2:48] I'm the first senator elected by mail. [2:51] I'm a Democrat. [2:52] Our second is Gordon Smith, a Republican. [2:55] Dennis Richardson was our Secretary of State. [2:59] He, too, kept us a bipartisan kind of approach. [3:02] And that has helped for us to be vigilant in showing that vote-by-mail has worked for decades. [3:09] And we're going to continue to be vigilant so that if somebody cooks up a scheme in Washington, D.C. [3:15] to try to disrupt the fair election in Oregon, I can tell you right now, we will be vigilant. [3:21] And as Oregon's senior senator, I'll lead that effort. [3:24] The other point I want to mention is today, rural Oregonians are empowered because they don't have to drive long distances to vote [3:34] as a result of vote-by-mail. [3:36] We have led the country in empowering folks in rural America because of this approach, safe and effective and empowering. [3:45] And it's good for working parents who appreciate being able to vote on their own time as well. [3:50] Let me conclude by way of saying that on Sunday, I spoke to Beth L. AME Church in northeast Portland [3:59] about the courageous civil rights activist, fierce voting rights activist, Fannie Lou Hamer. [4:06] She and so many others fought for the vote 60-plus years ago in the segregationist South [4:12] because they knew that's how people power could be exercised through the vote to make America a better place, [4:19] not a blue place or a red place, a better place. [4:22] So I ask all of you in the same final hours of the election, [4:26] I'll be putting on my vote-by-mail hat from Tobias Reid here in a few minutes, [4:30] and let me turn it over to the secretary. [4:32] Actually, I think we're going to have attorney general next. [4:35] Go ahead. [4:36] Go for it. [4:37] Thank you, Senator. [4:39] It has been a long two years to get to this point. [4:43] I think Election Day is one of the most exciting days in any democracy, [4:47] so I'm privileged and proud to be here with these amazing people here today. [4:52] Since day one, talking about a long two years, [4:54] President Donald Trump has been intent on trying to take over our elections, [4:59] frankly, in states that didn't vote for him. [5:01] He's intact the integrity of vote-by-mail here in Oregon. [5:04] He's made baseless allegations without a shred of evidence [5:08] and has attempted to bully state leaders into letting him take over their elections. [5:13] And since day one, we have stood together to say absolutely not, [5:17] working with other AGs and other important election officials across the state, [5:22] from Secretary Reid to every single county clerk. [5:26] Oregon has responded in court immediately, and we've won every single time. [5:31] There has not been one single court case when it comes to our elections [5:34] here in the state of Oregon that we have lost. [5:36] Trump has attempted to get his hands on our voter rolls. [5:40] He's attempted to get the Postal Service to play gatekeeper between you and your ballot [5:44] and, frankly, tell us how to run our own elections here in this state [5:48] in every single step of the way. [5:50] We have blocked him in the courts, and the courts have sided with us. [5:53] And I think it's probably more important to say that the courts didn't side with us. [5:57] They sided with the framers of our Constitution. [6:01] And that is why, despite Trump's best efforts, [6:04] his administration's best efforts, Oregonians are voting in this election, [6:08] like they have voted in every single election for the past 25 years. [6:14] Now, this is two years in the work in progress. [6:17] Our first lawsuit came in response to a March 25, 2025 election order. [6:25] That lawsuit was filed seven days later, on April 4th, and was subsequently won, [6:30] to more recently where we wound up in the United States Supreme Court, [6:34] when Trump was trying to be a gatekeeper between our ballot and our Postal Service. [6:39] And that happened in September. [6:41] Most recently, in the past week, the Oregon Department of Justice lawyers [6:43] and our public servants here in this state are filing amicus briefs [6:47] and working in cases in Washington and California to make sure that our elections can be protected. [6:52] Now, the Supreme Court has blocked President Trump's orders, for now, for this election. [7:01] But it's also important to say that this fight, this work to make sure that our elections have integrity, [7:07] is not over on Election Day. [7:09] We'll be working, as we go over the next few weeks, [7:13] to make sure that every voice here in Oregon, frankly, every voice in our country, is counted and is heard. [7:20] When you sit down and you fill out your ballot and you know who you want to represent you [7:23] and you know what you want your country and your state to look like, your voice should be counted. [7:28] And that's what we will be doing over the next few weeks. [7:31] Oregon voters should know that every eligible voter will count. [7:35] And Secretary Reed's team is running this election with integrity, accountability, and transparency. [7:42] And I'm proud to have an amazing partner in Secretary Reed with that. [7:49] Thank you, General Wayfield. [7:50] Thanks, everyone, for being here this morning. [7:52] Happy Election Day. [7:54] I have an update for you. [7:55] As of 6.43 this morning, more than 1.5 million eligible voters have cast their ballots in Oregon. [8:02] And that puts us on track for what could be the highest turnout of any midterm election in Oregon history. [8:07] Just think about that for a moment. [8:09] More eligible Oregon voters than ever before could be showing up to participate in our American elections. [8:15] That is good news for our state. [8:17] It is good news for our country. [8:19] Because it means we are closer than ever to our dream of a government of, by, and for the people. [8:25] Every vote moves us closer to that dream. [8:27] Which is why my message to any Oregonian who hasn't yet voted is simple. [8:32] There is still time. [8:34] You've got until 8 o'clock tonight to put your ballot into any one of our more than 300 official drop boxes across the state. [8:40] Please be assured these drop boxes are monitored and secured. [8:45] They are equipped with fire suppression technology. [8:48] And election officials are working closely with local law enforcement and emergency response partners to protect you and your ballot. [8:55] You can find the nearest drop box at OregonVotes.gov slash drop box. [9:00] If the closest one to you happens to be in another county, don't worry about that. [9:04] Local election officials work with each other to make sure that every ballot gets where it needs to go. [9:10] Just make sure that you are signing your ballot envelope before you drop it in the box because that is key. [9:16] To be counted, every ballot has to have a signature on the envelope. [9:21] And that signature has to match what's on file at the local elections office. [9:24] 15,000 ballots were challenged in the primary election because of signature issues. [9:31] If your signature is missing or it doesn't match, you'll get a letter from your elections official with instructions. [9:37] And you'll have 21 days after election day to get that issue fixed so that your ballot will count. [9:43] And if you're not sure which signature to use, look at your driver's license or your ID card. [9:50] Those signatures are usually shared from the DMV to the elections office, so that will be on file. [9:55] And whether you turned in your ballot days ago or you're still planning on doing it later today, [10:00] it is never too late to sign up for updates on your ballot. [10:03] You can do that at OregonVotes.gov slash track. [10:06] It's a quick, easy, and secure way to know when your ballot has been accepted by the elections office [10:12] and when it's ready for counting. [10:14] If there's any issue with your signature, you'll also get a phone call or an email or a text about that as well. [10:20] So, again, we're encouraging people to sign up for that tracking opportunity at OregonVotes.gov slash track. [10:27] Now, I know Oregonians are very excited and eager to know about the outcomes of our elections tonight, [10:33] but I want something very important to stay on your mind tonight, and that is that accuracy takes time. [10:41] So the numbers you're going to see starting after 8 o'clock tonight at results.oregon.gov are unofficial. [10:47] The result won't be official until December 10th after the strict, rigorous, and public certification process is complete. [10:57] I often get asked, why does it take so long to certify an election? [11:01] Well, the answer is really simple because we want every legally cast vote to be counted and counted accurately. [11:08] Remember, under Oregon law, every legally cast ballot that is postmarked by today and delivered by the post office within one week of election day will be accepted and counted. [11:20] That means that timely cast ballots are being counted well after election day to account for any of those mail delays. [11:27] But there's even more to this process once ballots are in the door because local election officials are putting those ballots through multiple layers of security. [11:36] They're checking and double-checking every detail to make sure that they're providing accurate results. [11:43] Authorized election officials follow strict chain-of-custody procedures and audit the number of ballots through every step of the counting process. [11:52] Before any ballot can be counted, local election officials must confirm every voter's identity through forensic signature verification, [12:00] and that is why signing your ballot envelope is so very important. [12:03] Then, ballots are separated from their envelopes to make sure that we are protecting voter privacy. [12:09] That way, no ballot can be connected to an individual voter's selections. [12:15] Trained bipartisan teams of election workers then count every single vote using counting machines that are never, ever connected to the internet. [12:23] And if a voter's intent is unclear, another bipartisan team must agree on how that vote should be counted. [12:30] Counties can start processing ballots before election day, but the results cannot be accessed by anyone before 8 o'clock on election night, [12:38] and they aren't transferred to our office either. [12:42] Sorry, I don't have any preview on what's going to happen tonight, and neither do any of our election workers. [12:48] Once ballots are counted, they are securely stored, and then we audit everything again. [12:53] Our office will work with local election officials to do hand recounts of selected races to check the results. [13:00] Then they will do those same public accuracy tests of all those vote counting machines again. [13:05] And once those processes are complete, all those ballots are preserved. [13:09] They are stored. [13:10] So if there's a close race or any doubt about an outcome, they can all be counted again. [13:16] Only after all that is done can an election be certified and the results made official. [13:21] Each of these steps serves an important purpose to protect your vote and ensure that the results reflect the will of Oregonians, and they will. [13:34] At the end of the day, we have to ask people to take this seriously and give us the patience. [13:40] So I ask you tonight, as the results come in, please be patient. [13:43] We owe it to every Oregon voter to get this right. [13:47] All of this comes back to the same purpose. [13:51] We have these safeguards in place every step of this process to protect your fundamental American right to vote. [13:58] And that's our number one priority. [14:00] It always has been. [14:01] It always will be. [14:02] Protecting that right takes leadership. [14:04] It takes partnership. [14:05] And it takes incredible amounts of hard work. [14:07] So I'm grateful to Attorney General Rayfield and Senator Wyden for your leadership and commitment to protecting the voice of all Oregon voters. [14:15] And I also want to recognize our 36 incredible county clerks and elections directors across Oregon. [14:22] Our local election workers and our own elections division staff here at the Secretary of State's office. [14:27] I've said this before, but I will probably never stop saying it. [14:30] You are the unsung heroes of our democracy. [14:34] And I want to thank President Cudd not only for hosting us today, but for her commitment and her team's commitment to boosting student voter participation. [14:41] The Oregon Campus Voting Challenge is a new effort for us this year, this nonpartisan initiative to encourage college and university campuses across the state to make civic engagement a priority. [14:53] Because protecting the right to vote is not just about securing our elections today. [14:58] It is also about making sure that the generations to come have every opportunity to participate in our elections and to make their voices heard and continue to shape Oregon for the better. [15:08] So, anyone who hasn't voted, don't forget, there is still time. [15:13] Get your ballot in an official drop box by 8 o'clock tonight and make your voice heard. [15:17] We appreciate you all being here and we're eager to take any of your questions. [15:20] I'll just make one quick point before we get to questions. [15:26] The reason that our two statewide officials have gone to all of this effort, spell out how carefully we've proceeded, [15:35] because if he tries anything, the history of Donald Trump is to try to confuse things, to try to make it hard to follow, to make it hard to track. [15:46] We have two terrific statewide officials who have spelled it out in great detail. [15:52] I was looking over their shoulders seeing all the details that were coming out. [15:55] That's because we care about Oregonians being in a position protected, that they're both safe, [16:02] and that if there's an effort to just kind of confuse things, our statewide elected officials are very clear. [16:08] Go ahead. [16:11] Secretary Reed, can you give us a sense of whether or not you're hearing from voters about the poll watchers that have come from the federal government? [16:20] Do you have any numbers to share about anything that's come to the hotline as far as voter access? [16:25] I haven't heard any issues. [16:27] What we've said all along when the federal government said they were going to send observers, we said, [16:30] welcome, we run safe, accurate, fair elections here. [16:33] We're happy to show our work. [16:34] You just have to follow the same rules as everybody else. [16:37] Frankly, the federal government might learn something about running safe, accurate, fair elections in Oregon. [16:42] So there's nothing coming through the hotline, nobody calling the Secretary of State's office and saying? [16:48] Not so far. [16:52] Are there any concerns? [16:53] Sorry, Ariel saw a question. [16:55] Are there any concerns that maybe some of these martyrs might step while not follow those very strict rules? [17:03] No, we were really clear about that. [17:06] The U.S. Department of Justice, we're told by the Multnomah Elections Director, understands that. [17:11] There are observer monitors with them. [17:14] They are on camera all the time. [17:16] So, again, we're happy to show our work. [17:18] We encourage Oregonians to come watch how this works. [17:21] These are Oregonians and Americans who can do that, too. [17:23] They just have to follow the same rules. [17:28] Yes? [17:29] No, from Multnomah County Elections. [17:32] From Multnomah County. [17:33] Well, we see the overall trend is up, and so I suspect that young people are a part of that, too. [17:50] But, again, we've still got several hours. [17:52] So I hope you'll get that message out, help us drive that number up as high as it can possibly. [17:58] The history also is that a lot of young people vote late. [18:02] That's right. [18:02] You can make a big difference. [18:05] Democracy and how to make the fungus system by getting the word out in a few hours. [18:10] I know that in the instance where I became Oregonian for the United States Senator. [18:18] Did you get any reports of voter intimidation at the drop boxes through this election season? [18:23] No, and that's a really important point. [18:25] It is against federal law to intimidate or interfere with someone's right to vote. [18:29] We make it really convenient, and those 300-plus drop boxes across the state give people choices. [18:34] But we're encouraging people, if you see something that would suggest that, call law enforcement, call our office, call your local elections office. [18:41] Don't intervene, but make sure, because we've all got a role in protecting everyone's right to vote. [18:46] On the voter turnout for younger people, you talked about the campus voting challenge. [18:51] Did that increase voter registration among young people? [18:53] Do we have any results of that challenge yet? [18:55] Registration has never been a problem in Oregon because we have automatic voter registration. [18:59] So it's very high across the state. [19:01] So this is really meant to help boost turnout. [19:04] And certainly some people who might have come as students who are not part of the automatic process can be helped by that. [19:11] But we're really trying to encourage the participation and turnout, and we'll see how that turns out. [19:15] So we won't know the results of the challenge until after. [19:18] Okay. [19:19] You mentioned that there could be the highest turnout. [19:24] What's that benchmark? [19:25] When and what was the highest previously? [19:30] Well, 2022 was in the high 60s. [19:32] We'll have to get back to you on the specifics going back further than that. [19:35] But we're on track for that record, and we'd like to see that happen. [19:38] Okay, I guess you said you're on track. [19:41] Can you just give me a little bit more about how you're measuring that? [19:44] Yeah, we look at the percentage every day. [19:48] We get results on what came back the next day. [19:50] So that's why this, as the senator made the point, there is a huge rush at the end of the day. [19:55] So what we will get back from yesterday, we'll see today. [19:59] But then that rush at the end as people are getting to the drop boxes and getting them in, [20:02] that we'll see later on. [20:04] So very optimistic and hopeful that that number is going to continue to rise dramatically. [20:07] And I think, to echo colleagues' comments, a lot of these students really... [20:18] My name is Zach Stanzik with the Portland State Student Government, [20:21] and my question to you is it's very common for voters to not complete or fill out the entire ballot. [20:28] What would you say to that to encourage not just the top of the ticket but to complete? [20:33] I'll point to a stat that amazes me every time I repeat it. [20:37] Since 2018, across the country, more than 600 elections have been decided by less than 10 votes, [20:44] 94 of them by a single vote. [20:46] So it's easy to point to big decisions. [20:48] And we'll put that even more close to home. [20:51] People around here know Kate Brown's name. [20:53] Her first election to the legislature was decided by seven votes. [20:56] So if just four people had done something different, we might not be referring to her as Governor Brown. [21:02] On the correspondence with the Trump administration, [21:05] we know about the DOJ letter where they misspelled your name. [21:08] Any other correspondence in response to that? [21:11] Have you heard from the Trump administration since then? [21:13] Anything on the court cases? [21:14] Any updates on the legal proceedings? [21:16] Not from us. [21:18] I think, you know, I don't like bullies. [21:20] And I feel like this was an attempt to really bully and try to intimidate election officials. [21:25] I think that's inappropriate at any time, especially on the eve of an election. [21:28] So it's not about my name being misspelled. [21:32] It's about attention to detail. [21:33] In our previous letter from them, they got election day wrong. [21:36] So I think this is an indication of how not serious they are about those details and why we are. [21:43] But you haven't had any new letters? [21:45] No. [21:48] Senator White, maybe you can tell us, tell me this is our field, [21:53] but what is the Senate talking about as far as change? [21:59] I have people running through all kinds of scenarios. [22:03] I have some doubt in the integrity of election that you guys are claiming. [22:12] We have, at every step of the way, been working with local groups, county clerks all over America [22:19] to have people vigilant and at the polls. [22:22] It's like there's two elections. [22:23] You have the one tonight until the polls close, and then you have the counting kind of exercise. [22:29] We've got people in place for both. [22:31] We'll be ready. [22:32] Yep, I have one from Michael Casey with the AP. [22:37] Can you talk about whether there have been issues in general at dropboxes or with voting? [22:43] I think our system is so resilient. [22:46] It gives people so many choices. [22:48] It gives people time to get their ballots in after they've made thoughtful decisions. [22:52] So I have not seen anything yet. [22:55] We're going to be vigilant. [22:56] We're in constant communication with all our county clerks, local law enforcement, various partners. [23:00] So if something did emerge, we'll be ready to respond. [23:03] But so far, it's smooth, and we want people to keep getting their ballots in, so we drive that number up. [23:09] And then we have a question with Anastasia Mason with the Statesman Journal. [23:12] Any update on the suspicious mail that was diverted? [23:16] No, we appreciate our partners with law enforcement intercepting that. [23:20] Again, we're vigilant. [23:21] We've been communicating with our county clerks to be on the lookout. [23:24] Thankfully, and so far, no other indications. [23:26] Not that I know of, however, hosting this event in itself was an attempt to raise the profile [23:49] and make sure that everybody is well informed about how to vote, where they need to drop off their ballots. [23:58] Thank you. [23:59] Don't forget OregonVotes.gov slash dropbox. [24:01] Find the nearest dropboxes, and OregonVotes.gov slash track to be tracking the ballot too. [24:05] The point is, we work with groups all across the country to be as vigilant as possible. [24:14] I've never seen an effort close to that. [24:15] I guess I'm wondering, I presume people in you guys' position run through worst-case scenarios. [24:21] I'm wondering to what degree you've run through the worst-case scenario, [24:23] being the federal government tries in any way to counter data from these. [24:29] Well, we're going to use every legal tool available to us. [24:31] The Attorney General might have something to say about that. [24:34] It's states that certify elections, and that's not ever been in any doubt. [24:38] The Constitution's really clear on that, and we're as many times as we have to remind the president. [24:43] And I can talk, because the students didn't have to go, prior to the inauguration, you had Democratic Attorneys General preparing and planning, right? [24:57] It's not a surprise that we filed our first lawsuit in less than 24 hours of one of the first executive orders that President Donald Trump signed. [25:05] It was not right citizenship. [25:06] That was planned. [25:07] We were thinking ahead. [25:09] Part of the thing that the Trump administration does is they talk about what they're going to do before they do it, right? [25:14] They couldn't even keep a secret when they were trying to bring the California National Guard to Oregon. [25:19] We knew about that well in advance, right, which allowed us to be in the courts very quickly. [25:23] Similar with elections, right? [25:25] They've been talking about this for two years. [25:27] We've watched phase one of what has been going on about what they are trying to do. [25:31] For the last two years, we've held multiple gatherings. [25:35] Some more Secretary Reed's team has joined. [25:37] Other Secretary of State's planning for all of the eventualities that could occur prior to Election Day. [25:43] That's phase one, where you try and manipulate the results before you get to Election Day, right? [25:48] Phase two is afterwards. [25:49] After you've lost, what are you going on? [25:52] All of the potential eventualities that you can think of, these are the type of things that you have dedicated public servants [25:57] and the Department of Justice across this state, or across, sorry, excuse me, the country that are preparing for those eventualities. [26:04] Even this morning, right, there's communication between all the attorneys general talking about what's going on in your state. [26:10] Obviously, on the West Coast, I'm able to sit there and say it's 6 a.m. [26:13] Not much is going on right now. [26:15] But, you know, when you're in New York and you're having other voting machine issues, [26:18] these are things that you start to see. [26:20] We start to see patterns of trends. [26:22] If any arise, and right now we're not seeing that current. [26:25] So that's kind of, I think, the level of collaboration, cooperation that you heard the Senator also talk about. [26:33] That was actually my question. [26:35] It works out really well. [26:36] All right. [26:38] Do you know how many election monitors are going to be here today? [26:42] Did you get a new word? [26:43] I think they said 10. [26:44] A number of them will be. [26:52] Thanks, everyone. [26:53] Thank you.