From the City Club of Eugene:
In 2016, there were attempts to breach the security of many, if not all, state election systems. It is widely assumed that the efforts will continue this fall. Some experts believe that nationwide paper ballots are the solution, while others think that a secure touch screen or even voting app can be found. Is our democracy being compromised? What are federal, state and local authorities doing to protect the vote? Is it enough? The experts in charge of the voting systems’ security in Oregon and Lane County will tell us about the level of the threats and all efforts to fight them.
Speakers:
Steve Trout has more than 23 years’ experience in election law and administration at the state and county levels and in the private sector. He currently serves as Oregon’s Director of Elections, and Vice President for the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED). He is a past Chair of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). He also serves on the Executive Board of the US Election Assistance Commission Standards Board and chairs the Standards Board’s Voluntary Voting System Guidelines committee. In Oregon, Steve pioneered use of tablets in elections and automatic voter registration. Steve earned degrees in Law, Managerial Economics, and Political Science from the University of California at Davis.
Cheryl Betschart has been Lane County Clerk for 10 years and has more than 18 years of experience in election management. As Clerk, Betschart is responsible for conducting all local, state, and national elections for more than 262,000 registered voters in Lane County. She leads a small, year-round team that’s responsible for everything from voter registration through certification of election results. Betschart also leads the County Deeds and Records division of Lane County. She has served on a number of state election committees, including the Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act Committee, the Help America Vote Act Steering Committee, the Oregon Association of County Clerks (OACC) Program Initiative and Election Legislative Committees. Betschart earned her bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University. She has been a Eugene resident for 30 years.
Copyright 2020, KLCC
