For Immediate Release
Monday, July 13, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Portland, OR – Last week, Oregon got its first preview of Donald Trump’s plans for undermining the democratic process in this year’s election. Trump’s Department of Justice sent Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read a letter threatening to imprison state election officials, despite a total lack of evidence that voter fraud is taking place in Oregon – or anywhere in the United States. Secretary of State Read responded publicly, letting Oregonians know that he would not be bullied by these lawless intimidation tactics.
Republicans across the country have embraced increasingly extreme schemes to make voting harder and attack free and fair elections. Here in Oregon, Christine Drazan did not just cheer from the sidelines. She introduced legislation that would dismantle the safe and secure vote-by-mail system Oregonians have relied on for decades.
Earlier this year, the American Journal News published an article highlighting Trump and Drazan’s alignment on voter suppression efforts. According to that article, “a 2018 survey by DHM Research found that 71% of Oregonians prefer voting by mail.”
“Republicans like Donald Trump and Christine Drazan seem to think that they can only win elections by suppressing access to the ballot,” said Democratic Party of Oregon Chair Nathan Soltz. “These attempts at undermining the integrity of our election system are a clear threat to our democracy. Oregonians know that our vote-by-mail system is a model for the country. This is just more proof that Drazan is too extreme to ever be governor. ”
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