SALEM, OR — The Secretary of State Elections Division will close its phone lines today after the system was overwhelmed by out-of-state callers responding to false information circulating on social media.
At issue is the decision by former president Donald Trump to not submit a statement to the Oregon voters’ pamphlet. Social media posts have been falsely claiming this as election interference, when it is in fact a decision made by the Trump campaign. As the Republican candidate for President, Donald Trump will be on the ballot in Oregon.
Despite a public statement from the Oregon Republican Party and media coverage providing clarity on the issue, some social media accounts continue to spread false information.
“Oregonians who need assistance will now have to wait because some individuals operating in bad faith are misleading people online,” said Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade. “We need to do more as a country to discourage this kind of behavior. Spreading rumors and false claims of election interference does nothing to help Oregonians.”
Oregon voters needing assistance can still find information online at OregonVotes.gov and contact the Elections Division via email at [email protected]. Oregon voters requiring assistance can leave a voicemail at the Elections Division and their calls will be prioritized for return.
Under Oregon law (ORS 166.065), it is a crime to harass or threaten an election worker while they are working or because they did their job.
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