Voters in two counties in Washington state and Oregon are facing challenges as they have not received mail-in ballots less than a week before the election. This issue arose following the recent incidents of incendiary devices being set off in ballot drop boxes in both states.
In Coos County, Oregon, the U.S. Postal Service failed to deliver an unknown number of ballots. Officials mentioned that the exact count of missing ballots is unclear as they are only aware of them if voters report the issue. Coos County, with approximately 50,000 active voters, is a rural coastal area in Oregon's southwest corner.
Similarly, in Whitman County, Washington, up to 300 ballots have not been delivered, with reports of missing ballots outside the town of Garfield. Whitman County Auditor Sandy Jamison confirmed that a third-party vendor delivered about 24,000 ballots to the post office on October 16, but some ballots have gone missing after being marked as received by the postal service.
Officials from the postal service are currently investigating the matter, with efforts underway to reissue replacement ballots promptly. Residents have the option to have replacement ballots mailed to them or pick them up in person. Ballots must be postmarked by November 5 to be counted.
In Oregon, officials are advising affected individuals to contact the Coos County clerk’s office promptly to request replacement ballots. The issue seems to be isolated to Coos County, and any ballot postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service on or before November 5 will be counted, even if received up to seven days later.
The Oregon state Senate Republican Caucus has called for immediate resolution of the delays and ensuring that every voter receives their ballot without further interference. This comes in the wake of attacks on ballot boxes in both states earlier this week, where incendiary devices were set off, destroying hundreds of ballots.
