Oregon Voters Overwhelmingly Oppose Bill to Restrict Mail-In Voting and Add ID Verification

A public hearing by the Senate Committee on Rules held on Monday to discuss a Bill that will revert Oregon to in-person voting was opposed by 81% of respondents who submitted written testimony, according to information obtained by a news source.

Oregon Will Cut Down on Potential Voter Fraud

By reverting to in-person voting, Oregon will cut down on potential voter fraud, says Republican Senator David Brock Smith, who introduced Senate Bill 210 to overhaul the state’s mail-in voting system.

Interest in Senate Bill 210 was revived when President Donald Trump signed an executive order a week ago that introduced restrictive measures that will disenfranchise millions of citizens of the right to vote.

The sweeping amendments to federal voter registration require proof of citizenship, and the executive order empowers federal agencies to cut off funding to non-compliant states.

Brock Smith, sponsor of SB 210, says the Oregon voter roll needs to be updated because people who moved out of the state and were registered elsewhere nevertheless received a ballot in the 2024 election.

Voters Must Produce Government-Issued Photo ID

Bill 210 will standardize in-person voting and require voters to present a government-issued photo ID. Exemptions are granted to military personnel and people overseas to vote by mail.

When the Senate Committee on Rules held a public hearing last week on SB 210, it attracted so much interest that it slowed down the Oregon legislative website.

By the 9 p.m. deadline for comment, more than 9,000 people had submitted written testimony, with a further 160 people requesting to testify in person .

According to information, 81% of the written testimony was against the bill, with 19% in favor.

The vote-by-mail system was adopted in 1998 by an overwhelming majority when Oregon became the first U.S. state to introduce the system for the 2000 presidential election.

Apart from Oregon, seven states allow mail-in voting – California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.