Election Security

Oregon's elections are secure. The voting equipment is never connected to the internet. There are no routers connected to the tabulation system and there never have been.

Oregon performs post-election reviews after every election that includes a federal or statewide contest.

Oregon law requires random sampling hand counts or risk-limiting audits in all counties following primary, general, and special elections. All of Oregon’s 36 county elections officials conduct these reviews, which require hand recounts of ballots.

​For further information on Oregon election laws and post-election procedures:​

Combatting Misinformation

  • We have almost no “voter fraud,”: A review of the vote by mail system​​ by the state’s Legislative Fiscal Office found from 2000-2019 there were approximately 61 million ballots cast. Of those, 38 criminal convictions of voter fraud were obtained. This amounts to a .00006% rate. ​

  • Our voter rolls only contain verified, eligible, and living voters: The Secretary of State's Elections Division regularly updates voter registration lists to remove deceased people, people who have moved, and other changes that impact eligibility. This happens on an ongoing basis, year-round, to ensure that ballots go to an accurate list.

  • Our voting system is protected against cybercriminals: We routinely perform threat analysis and risk assessments. Assessments are conducted by internal staff as well as contracted third parties. As a result, we continue to improve security processes and protections to maintain secure, private, and accurate election infrastructure.

  • Our ballot tabulations are accurate and safe from tampering: Ballots are counted by machines, which are faster and more accurate than hand counts. Several steps are taken to ensure the accuracy of the count. First, the machines are tested and certified three times: well before, just before, and after elections take place. Oregon's machines passed federal lab tested certification and are tailored to Oregon's vote-by-mail system. Second, the machines are never connected to the internet and physical access to the machines is tightly restricted. Finally, Oregon has required post-election audits after each statewide election since 2008. In these audits, elections officials conduct a hand recount to verify that the machine count is accurate.​​​

  • If you hear anything that contradicts this, it could be misinformation. For a variety of reasons, false information circulates making claims that fraud, ineligible voters, hacking, or unreliable counts affect vote outcomes. These factors have never affected the outcome of an election in Oregon. Remain critical of online information such as sensational news headlines, unsourced and unverified reports, or opinion or satire that appears factual. Seek confirmation from multiple, trustworthy sources for any election news that you find alarming.

For more information, including tools you can trust, and answers to more questions, check out the official Secretary of State Election Security hub.