Oregon’s Republican Party is calling for an end to vote-by-mail. It’s just one part of an alarming overhaul to our state’s electoral system that you can read about on Page 2 of their new platform at oregon.gop.

If Oregon voters give them power, voter registration will be severely restricted and allowable only in person. The GOP will mandate same-day, in-person voting, with all ballots tabulated by hand. Each county will be allowed to make its own rules for how to administer elections.

In so many respects, today’s GOP just ain’t what it used to be. Never mind that it was a GOP-controlled Legislature that birthed Oregon’s vote-by-mail system in 1981. Never mind that Republican secretaries of state from Norma Paulus to Dennis Richardson to Bev Clarno have been among its most vocal champions. Today’s Republican Party is calling for its abolition.

Oregon’s electoral model has been tested and refined over several decades. Many states have adopted it successfully, while others are envious. Voter surveys over the years document that Oregonians are proud of this innovation in civic engagement.

If you share this pride and are concerned about preserving our right to vote, please consider this: Which party is actively seeking to curtail your freedom to vote? Which party do you suppose will protect it?

David Sours

Jacksonville