Fred Neal, a representative from the Secretary of State's Office, will monitor ballot processing in Clackamas County. Neal also observed the county's May 2010 election. He'll be joined by Brenda Bayes, the state deputy director for elections.
OREGON CITY -- Clackamas County commissioners will hold
to discuss the ongoing state investigation into allegations that
.
Meanwhile, a recall effort is under way against County Clerk Sherry Hall, who oversees elections.
Chairwoman Charlotte Lehan, a Democrat who is in a heated race to retain her seat against former Wilsonville Mayor John Ludlow,
. She called on Hall, County Administrator Steve Wheeler and County Counsel Stephen Madkour to provide more details about the alleged incident, how many ballots were allegedly tampered with and what will happen to the ballots. Lehan also requested more information on the elections employee under investigation, including whether the employee worked in previous elections.
History of errors
Several elections problems have surfaced in Clackamas County in recent years.
May 2004: Ballots mailed to between 100 and 300 Sandy voters exclude three annexation questions. County Clerk Sherry Hall acknowledges that she learned of the error a week and a half before the election but didn't alert the public or news media. All three results are close enough to be affected.
March 2009: County election officials improperly allow candidates to file for office until 6 p.m. on the deadline day, although state law calls for a 5 p.m. deadline. The error affected about a dozen people interested in public office.
May 2010: Hall mistakenly places two races on the May ballot instead of the November ballot. Ballots are reprinted at a cost of about $120,000. Secretary of State sends an observer to monitor the county's election process.
October 2010: The Voters Pamphlet incorrectly publishes a map illustrating a West Linn ballot measure with an Oregon City measure. A ballot insert notifies voters of the error.
"Clackamas County voters need information on the potential extent of the problem now," Lehan wrote Sunday in her letter to Wheeler. "We all need information immediately about the safeguards in place to prevent ballot tampering and the methods used to hire election workers and volunteers."
It's unclear if any of her questions will be answered as the state continues its investigation ahead of the Nov. 6 election. The Oregon Department of Justice confirmed Friday that
, though officials did not name the female elections employee or disclose how many ballots might be affected.
Tampering with ballots is a Class C felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $125,000 fine.
Sherry Hall, Clackamas County clerk
A 10 a.m. Monday rally and protest has been called at the Clackamas County Elections Office as a recall effort against Hall is launched.
"Sherry Hall has been a source of concern for years," said Dave Adams, a Stafford Hamlet resident and one of the organizers of the recall effort. "What concerns me most is that Sherry Hall is so incredibly incompetent it's just unbelievable that she's actually in charge of county elections."
The recall effort "will be launched this week," he said.
Adams, a registered Democrat supporting Lehan,
.
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Hall did not immediately return a message seeking comment Sunday night.
Earlier today, Secretary of State Kate Brown
at the Clackamas County Elections Office.
Bayes joins Fred Neal, another elections monitor, to help ensure the integrity of the Nov. 6 election results. Both Bayes and Neal bring more than 30 years of experience in elections, Brown said in a news release. A private security guard and a state trooper are also at the office, she said.
The Oregon Department of Justice is investigating the matter promptly since the Nov. 6 election is just days away, Jeff Manning, spokesman for the Department of Justice, said Friday. "Just given the timing, obviously, this is a high priority case for us at this point," he said.
Officials are especially concerned as ballots in Clackamas County feature several hotly contested races that
.
Clackamas County is considered a swing county. Out of more than 228,000 registered voters – more than 10 percent of voters statewide – Democrats have an edge of just 7,000. As of 3 p.m. Saturday,
.
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