Ballot Drop Box Coming to Leaburg

Lane County Elections is expanding its official ballot drop box network, giving McKenzie River Valley voters a new place to return their ballots in the November 3 general election. The new box will be installed at McKenzie Fire & Rescue, 42870 McKenzie Highway in Leaburg. It offers residents another convenient way to return ballots without relying on the mail. This Leaburg site is among three new traditional ballot drop boxes being installed countywide. The other two are planned for the River Road Water & Fire Protection District, 105 Oakleigh Lane in Eugene, and the Mapleton Fire District, 10940 Highway 36 in Mapleton. Installation is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14. All 25 county ballot drop boxes will then open Thursday, October 15, the same day ballots begin arriving in the mail. County Clerk Tommy Gong described the expansion as part of a longstanding goal. “Expanding access to convenient and secure ballot drop boxes is one of our longstanding goals at Lane County Elections,” he said. “Most voters in Lane County choose to use an official drop box to return their ballots.” Funding for the expansion comes from a combination of grant funding and state emergency election funding that the Oregon Legislature approved in September. Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read praised the effort. He said the additional drop boxes will make voting more accessible while maintaining ballot security. Oregon’s first “smart” ballot drop box is also being tested by Lane County. It will be installed on the ground floor of the Lane County Public Service Building, 125 E. 8th Avenue in Eugene. The new equipment differs from traditional boxes in its ability to scan barcodes on ballot return envelopes. That capability allows election officials to track which ballots were deposited at the location. According to Gong, the technology could improve ballot security. It could also help officials identify and contact affected voters if a box or its contents were damaged or compromised before collection. Should testing prove successful, the smart box will be relocated before the next election. The new locations were finalized after election materials went to print, so they will not appear on the official drop box list included with mailed ballots. Even so, all three will be available beginning October 15. Voters are also being urged by election officials to plan ahead, because changes in U.S. Postal Service procedures could delay postmarking and delivery. Ballots must either be deposited in an official drop box by 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 3, or be postmarked by that deadline. Those who choose to mail their ballots are encouraged to do so no later than October 27. For McKenzie Valley residents, returning ballots directly to election officials is now possible through an additional local option: the new Leaburg drop box. A complete list of ballot drop box locations and additional election information can be found at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/elections.