Chris Walker

I am proud to be Jackson County’s chief election official.

I am fortunate to have found my life’s work through which I can serve my community, collaborate with dedicated professionals, and contribute to a sacred process — voting and participating in elections — in a meaningful and nonpartisan way.

Since becoming your Jackson County Clerk in 2008, the environment in which election officials and offices operate has changed, though much remains the same.

Many more voters are paying close attention to our processes. On balance, this is a good thing, as it means more people are engaged in the voting process, but it does introduce the opportunity for people to misinterpret what we do through the uniform processes and procedures set forth by Oregon law.

Oregon has a long history of successfully administering elections by mail. When much of the country was trying to figure out how to facilitate mail ballot elections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our state was seen as a leader — by states with leadership that spanned the political spectrum — in how to safely and securely do so.

Our processes to keep your ballot safe and secure are dictated by state statute and administrative rules, and strengthened by the people — your friends, neighbors and others — who help to administer elections. Conducting an election is truly a community effort, and we must follow the laws of the state as we work together to successfully administer elections.

We send out mail ballots about two-and-a-half weeks before Election Day. All actively registered voters receive mail ballots, and mail ballots must be received or mailed with a valid post mark by 8 p.m. on Election Day (May 16th).

If you receive a mail ballot that was not meant for you, notify us by sending the unopened ballot envelope back to our office, with a note indicating that the voter no longer lives at the address.

You may also call our office to receive instructions. DO NOT fill out the ballot, as knowingly attempting to vote on behalf of another voter is a felony in Oregon.

Our elections are remarkably transparent, with every aspect of ballot return processing happening in the public’s eye view. The logic and accuracy testing of the centralized vote tally system that is secured in our elections office is conducted in public — and aligned with rigorous standards set forth by the state. Observers are also allowed to watch as election workers compare all signatures on mail ballot return envelopes to the signature found in your voter registration record.

Just like the testing of equipment and comparing signatures, the processing and counting of ballots is done in public as well. Bipartisan teams, working side-by-side, separate ballots from return envelopes, with any personal identifying information faced down.

Ballots are kept folded until they are separated from the return envelope — ensuring that the privacy of each voter’s ballot is maintained throughout the process.

At the final stage of the process, ballots are scanned and counted in public using the rigorously tested and certified equipment that was previously mentioned.

All of this is done under the careful watch of observers who represent candidates, parties and other stakeholders.

An added layer of security is the fact that the secured rooms where we process ballots — as well as the official ballot drop boxes in Jackson County — are continuously monitored by cameras 24/7.

Law enforcement officials provide additional support and security throughout the election cycle.

As our office works to continue to share this information and ensure transparency, I encourage you to reach out to me personally at 541-774-6125 or through our main office at 541-774-6148.

Serving as your Jackson County Clerk continues to be one of the greatest honors of my life, one for which I am truly grateful.