Your Vote Matters - Local Participation Really Matters
The hits just keep on coming. What else could possibly go awry at the Clackamas County elections office?
Sherry Hall put Clackamas County in the headlines… again. Yes, THAT Sherry Hall, our error prone, take-no-responsibility County Clerk, grabbing national news attention since 2014 by placing personal politics ahead of her job. Hall declined to perform same sex marriages and failed to file the paperwork for such marriages. It is believed she is a Trump supporter. (Check the history here .)
Basically, we know what happened in May with the State-wide primary. And now, thanks to voters speaking up, we know what has happened with the local August “special election,” which includes the Oregon City mayoral race. Oregon City voters reported inconsistencies and omissions with voter pamphlets. Some residents reported having never received a voter pamphlet at all. If you’re active on the online community Nextdoor.com, search “Just recd ballot for OC mayor position” for the neighborly ranting. Oregon Public Broadcasting’s April Ehrlich also broke the story on August 11.
HERE’S A BUCK, SHERRY. PASS IT ON. This latest elections office embarrassment triggered a hearing with our Clackamas County Commissioners on August 11, where clerk Hall pushed the blame to sub-contractors. “It’s humans. Things happen. We try to correct it, but we don’t control everybody’s work ethic or the way they do their job.” Hall blamed the mess on human error by outside businesses.
“It’s usually not the people, but the process, whenever there’s a glitch or challenge,” said Commissioner Sonya Fischer. When Hall was asked about her plans to do a better job and avoid mistakes in the November mid-term general election, Fischer asked, “What is the process to make sure that all the steps are followed? And if they aren’t followed, then where’s the accountability — if we’re working with a contractor or if it’s a mail house or whatever it is,” Fischer said. “Because with the heightened sense of distrust in election integrity, these kinds of mistakes are just not acceptable to the public.” More here
Hall has just one more election to get through, provided all goes well for candidate Catherine McMullen, running for County Clerk to unseat Hall. At this point McMullen seems to be on track to win this non-partisan seat. But our country is still writhing from what seemed a sure thing, Hillary Clinton’s projected win and the events of January 6, while we wait... and wait... and wait for the arrest warrants to be issued.
In the short term, we must remain vigilant. We must work together on increasing voter turnout. These midterm elections determine our future for the next generation and which party holds the majority in Congress. Volunteer opportunities are plentiful. Step Up. Step In.
Help McMullen win: https://clackamasvoice.org/ To help Commissioner Fischer’s
re-election: https://www.sonyafischer.com/get-involved To help Commissioner
Forde’s election: https://www.libraforclackamascounty.com/ Your Vote Matters.
Local Support Really Matters. The Clackamas Dems election fundraiser: Clackamas Together - Blue in '22! September 24 through October 8.https://secure.actblue.com/donate/rooseveltevent2022