Del Riley (clerk)
Del Riley (May 1925 – August 23, 2018) was an American
Personal life
Riley was born in
Linn County clerk
Riley was first elected in 1966, assuming office in early 1967.[4] He was succeeded in office by Steve Druckenmiller, who still holds the position as of 2021.[5]
Vote-by-mail advocacy
While studying ways to reduce the cost of running elections in Linn County and ways to increase voter participation, Riley identified sample ballots. Every election, he was required by law to mail every voter in the county a sample ballot showing them what their ballots would have on them. Instead of mailing sample ballots, Riley began to advocate for simply mailing the actual ballots to voters and having them mailed back.
By the mid-1980s, more counties in Oregon began adopting the vote-by-mail model.[11] In 1987, the Oregon Legislature authorized all counties in the state to conduct local elections by mail if they chose.[12] According to a 1988 study, the number of local elections that had been conducted entirely by mail in the US was 1000, and Oregon—a small state in terms of population—accounted for 400 of them.[13]
In 1998, Oregon put to voters a measure requiring all elections to be conducted by mail. Riley was supportive of the measure,[11] and it passed with nearly 70% of the vote.[14]
Further legacy
In 2015, giving a speech on a recently passed bill to automatically register Oregon residents to vote when issuing a driver's license, Governor Kate Brown explicitly tied the push to the legacy of Riley, declaring "He had a vision to make voting as convenient and as accessible as possible by putting a ballot in the hands of every eligible Oregonian."[15] Five years later reflecting on the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote Governor Brown again echoed the sentiment that Riley's legacy was tied to the franchise, stating "In fact, it was Linn County clerk Del Riley whose vision it was to put a ballot in the hands of every single eligible Oregonian."[16]
References
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Paul, Alex (November 11, 2013). "Distinguished Veteran: Del Riley". Albany Democrat-Herald. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Paul, Alex (August 30, 2018). "Former Linn County Clerk Del Riley called visionary, faithful servant". Albany Democrat-Herald. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
- ^ Wong, Ming (November 7, 2022). "The Ballot-Cycle How Linn County Processes Election Ballots". West Albany Whirlwind. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
- ^ Keisling, Phil (September 9, 2018). "Remembering Oregon's true 'father' of vote by mail". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ "Another note of appreciation for Del Riley". Corvallis Gazette-Times. September 10, 2018. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ Glanville, Kathleen (October 1, 1981). "Paulus Links Mail-Vote Success to Linn". Albany Democrat-Herald.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Day, James (October 24, 2020). "Vote by mail: Local activists helped lead the way". Lebanon Express. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Anna (May 15, 2020). "Western states lead the way in vote-by-mail elections". High Country News. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ "Oregon Vote by Mail for Biennial Elections, Measure 60 (1998)". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ "Brown: Voter bill about 'making government work better'". The Newberg Graphic. April 1, 2015. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Kate (August 18, 2020). Remarks as prepared (Speech). OACC Conference. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.