CORVALLIS, Ore. — Benton County Clerk Darla Rush is working with state and federal officials after learning that an unknown number of ballots were not collected from 12 of Corvallis’ 38 mail routes on Election Day during Oregon’s May primary.
The issue came to light following a July 6 report by the Corvallis Gazette-Times, which found that some ballots mailed by Corvallis voters were not counted because they were not picked up by letter carriers on May 19. According to the report, postal management instructed carriers to prioritize package deliveries over collecting outgoing mail.
A letter carrier who spoke with Mid-Valley Media said directing carriers to focus on package deliveries when staffing is limited or delivery volumes are high is not unusual. However, during election periods, postal workers are typically instructed to prioritize mail collection to help ensure ballots are processed on time.
After reading the report, Rush immediately contacted Benton County’s U.S. Postal Service representative in Portland, who escalated the matter to senior USPS leadership. Rush met with postal officials Tuesday to discuss what occurred and how similar issues can be prevented in future elections.
Rush also notified the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, where elections staff are reviewing the situation.
With Oregon’s general election approaching in November, Rush said she is taking additional steps to help ensure every eligible ballot is counted. She has requested a meeting later this week with USPS representatives, the Secretary of State’s elections director and the Corvallis postmaster to discuss election mail procedures.
In addition to working with election and postal officials, Rush plans to increase voter outreach and public education ahead of the November election.
“Our primary message will encourage voters to use one of the county’s 17 official ballot drop sites whenever possible,” Rush said. “If you do mail a ballot, follow the Secretary of State’s direction — do it at least one week before Election Day.”
Rush said her office will also host community outreach meetings this fall to inform voters about their ballot return options and answer questions about the election process.
Information on voting, ballot return deadlines and the locations of Benton County’s 17 official ballot drop sites is available through the county’s Records & Elections Office.
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