In Southern Oregon, law enforcement officials are getting ready for all outcomes, either on Election Day or in the days after.
One of the official ballot drop boxes outside the elections office in Medford, Ore. on May 8, 2024.
Roman Battaglia / JPR
“We’re always more vigilant during election season. Unfortunately, it seems like every season, things get a little more tense in the community, politically speaking,” Josephine County Undersheriff Travis Snyder said.
Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara said they’ll have an officer stationed by the city’s ballot drop box on November 5.
“We, like all law enforcement agencies I think, have generalized concerns that we want to make sure that the election process is fair and accessible and safe for everybody,” he said. “All Jackson County law enforcement agencies have been tasked with keeping an extra eye on polling places, ballot boxes and whatnot.”
He said they’ve also been doing extra patrols. So far, O’Meara said they haven’t heard of any credible threats to people voting.
Tensions in Oregon are especially high after a man recently set fires in three ballot drop boxes in Portland and Vancouver.
“Everyone’s taking the potential that we’ve seen thus far with regards to the destruction of the ballot boxes seriously and trying to prevent anything like that from happening here,” Jackson County Sheriff Nate Sickler said. “We will have extra patrols out on election night, have a presence down at the clerk’s office, just like we always do every year. Our staff has been briefed on all things concerning elections. And we just hope that everything runs smoothly, and if it doesn’t, then we’ll be prepared to deal with whatever comes up.”
Snyder said Oregon’s vote-by-mail system affects how they prepare for situations.
“With the fact that it’s a voting system via mail, it kind of changes your need,” he said. “It’s less concentrated because it’s not like we have a polling place that we need an extra police presence at. It kind of waters it down.”
He said ballot drop boxes are always prioritized for monitoring. So far, he said the election process is going smoothly, and they’ve coordinated with other local agencies to ensure they’re prepared for potential disruptions.
“There’s going to be people on either side that are not going to have the outcome they want during the election,” Sickler said. “But we haven’t experienced civil unrest due to that in our area in the past. And I just believe that our community is above that kind of behavior, and I hope that that continues.”
Ballots must be turned into drop boxes, or postmarked, by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
