Last election, Lane County was one of several across the country that was targeted with suspicious mail. The county has implemented several safety measures to protect workers going into this election.
Lane County Clerk Dena Dawson said the incident left staff shaken - but also more determined.
“We hope that nothing will happen, but we feel confident that we’re prepared if something does,” she said. “We’ve received naloxone training, our staff has taken self-defense training, so we’re doing everything that we can to make sure that we’re safe.”
Dawson said that also includes additional protocols for when an unknown substance is found in a regular piece of mail, or a ballot.
In addition to the safety measures - she also is working to educate voters whenever she can in hopes of dispelling election myths and misinformation.
That includes a robust election observer program and a 24-hour livestream of the election offices that’s easily accessible online.
“We're very vocal and we talk about radical transparency and I'm not going to stop doing that,” she said, “because that's how we combat this, showing people behind the curtain, ‘this is exactly what's happening come and see.”’
Dawson said the elections office has several protocols to protect the integrity of votes: including clear chain of custody protocols, doors to secure areas that require two employee keys to open and a requirement that workers are not allowed to be alone with ballots.
She said workers who are paired in teams to process ballots also cannot be registered in the same political party.
Ballots are due at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21.
