Murdock urges county residents to vote
By Terry Murry on Monday, May 9th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Oregon is one of the easiest states to cast a ballot in, with vote by mail, postage paid ballots, and automatic voter registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles. This year a new law goes into effect that requires ballots to be considered on time as long as they are postmarked on Election Day and received within the next seven days.
It puzzles Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock why the county’s voters simply don’t vote.
“Umatilla County is always last in the state – 36th out of 36 counties – in terms of voter turnout,” he said. “That’s extremely disappointing.”
This isn’t a presidential election. It’s a primary, but in many instances, candidates will move on to November or fall by the wayside.
“There are two county commissioner positions on the ballot,” Murdock said. “Three people running in one and in the one that I’m vacating there are six.”
For those who wait until the last day, the Umatilla County Elections Department advises it’s better to take ballots to one of the many drop boxes posted on the website. If mailing them, carry them into the post office and request they be hand canceled to ensure they have the May 17 date.
