Oregon’s Secretary of State Calls Out Trump Administration’s Election Threats

Portland – On Monday, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read stood before reporters at Portland Community College and, frankly, pushed back on the latest wave of federal threats aimed at state‑run elections. He said the rhetoric coming from the Trump administration isn’t a genuine effort to "improve" voting; it’s a political ploy meant to make it tougher for ordinary Americans to cast a ballot.

Read’s comments came on the heels of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s warning that states could face criminal probes – and even lose federal funding – if they don’t cooperate with a new push to bar non‑citizens from voting. President Donald Trump, in a recent nationwide address, reiterated his baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen, offering no evidence but plenty of doubt.

“This isn’t about election integrity,” Read told the press. “It’s about putting pressure on the people who actually run the elections, and about making it harder for citizens to vote when the results don’t suit a particular agenda.” He reminded listeners that the U.S. Constitution leaves election administration to the states, and that Oregon’s three‑decade experiment with all‑mail voting has repeatedly proven secure.

Data backs that up. A 2020 review from the Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office found only 38 criminal voter‑fraud convictions out of more than 60 million ballots cast between 2000 and 2019 – a fraud rate of .00006%. Yes, a handful of clerical slip‑ups at the DMV sent ballots to non‑citizens, but the agency quickly tightened procedures, separating passport checkboxes and requiring staff to verify citizenship documents.

The federal government, meanwhile, has tried to pry into state voter rolls. Earlier this month the Justice Department warned that election workers who “facilitate” non‑citizen voting could be prosecuted, even though there’s no evidence that Oregon is currently violating any law. A Biden‑appointed judge in Eugene recently slammed a Trump‑era request for Oregon’s voter data as “chilling” and a threat to voting rights.

Read said his office is working hand‑in‑hand with the U.S. Postal Service to keep ballot delivery smooth, especially as the Postal Service adjusts its routing through a Portland hub. He urged voters who live more than 50 miles from Portland to use the drop‑box locations the state publishes 21 days before each election – a practical tip to avoid any last‑minute mail‑delivery hiccups.

“We’ve successfully defended Oregonians’ private voter information in federal court,” Read concluded. “Now we’re focused on educating voters, supporting county clerks, and making sure misinformation doesn’t fill any gaps. Every ballot counts, and we’ll do everything we can to protect that right this November.”