Christine Drazan
President Donald Trump and Oregon Republican Christine Drazan have something in common: both want to curtail mail-in voting.
Drazan has served in both chambers of the Oregon state legislature and is now running in the Republican primary for governor.
Oregon is one of eight states where all voting is conducted by mail. One hundred percent of ballots cast in Oregon in 2024 were submitted via postal service or drop box. The state adopted the practice in 2000 after 70 percent of voters approved the change in a 1998 referendum.
In last month’s State of the Union address, Trump urged lawmakers to implement federal voting restrictions outlined in the SAVE Act, legislation that would eliminate most forms of mail-in voting and impose stricter ballot access requirements nationwide.
“All voters must show voter ID,” Trump said. “All voters must show proof of citizenship in order to vote. And no more crooked mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military, or travel. None.”
Trump frequently says mail voting has led to widespread fraud in elections, but there is virtually no evidence to support these claims. A 2020 analysis by the New York Times found that states with universal vote-by-mail policies have “essentially zero fraud.”
Last year, Drazan sponsored House Bill 3872 (HB 3872), which would require most Oregonians to vote in person on Election Day. It would also require voters to present a photo ID.
Republicans in the Oregon Senate introduced an identical bill as a companion to HB 3872. The Senate bill was so unpopular that the Oregon legislative website crashed because of the volume of people logging on to express their displeasure.
Democratic state Sen. James Manning told Oregon Public Broadcasting that both legislative bills were designed to appease Trump.
“Is this an issue looking for a problem?” Manning asked. Because I don’t see it here in our state. This is something that’s a national movement to try to make something of nothing.”
Polling suggests that Trump and Drazan are out of step with what most Oregonians want. A 2018 survey by DHM Research found that 71 percent of Oregonians prefer voting by mail.
Drazan ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022. If she secures the Republican nomination, she will face incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek in the general election.
Reprinted with permission from American Journal News
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