Oregon elections office shuts down phone lines over false information about Trump, voter pamphlet

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon Elections Division is shutting down its phone lines after the system was “overwhelmed” by out-of-state callers responding to false information about why Donald Trump is not in the Oregon Voter Pamphlet.

While social media rumors make false claims of election interference, the decision not to have Trump appear in the pamphlet was made by the Trump campaign, the Oregon Secretary of State’s office said Thursday.

According to the agency, the campaign did not file a statement or pay the required $3,500 to appear in the pamphlet.

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“Oregonians who need help will now have to wait as some individuals operating in bad faith are misleading people online,” Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said. “We must do more as a country to discourage this type of behavior. Spreading rumors and false claims about election interference does not help the people of Oregon.”

Although phone lines have been shut down, officials say voters in Oregon can still leave voicemails or send an email to the elections department.

Laura Kerns, the communications director for the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, told Nexstar’s KOIN that staffers “can say with 100% certainty that nothing like this has ever happened” in the elections department in the last decade.

“Sometimes we are on the receiving end of campaigns trying to change a decision we have made, but it has not escalated to the point where people are threatening violence against our employees on the calls,” Kerns said.

Kerns said the office notified police about the calls because some of them were threatening or abusive.

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The announcement comes after the Secretary of State’s office responded last week to a post on X, formerly Twitter, explaining why a statement from the former president is not included in the pamphlet.

“The Trump campaign chose not to participate. It was not negligence on the part of the officials. Trump/Vance will still be on your ballot,” the Oregon Secretary of State’s office wrote.

The response to

On its website, the party said: “Many people are wondering why a campaign statement from former President Donald J. Trump was not included in the Oregon Voters’ Pamphlet that arrived in Oregonians’ mailboxes this week. The decision not to submit a statement for the voter pamphlet was made by the Trump campaign earlier this year.”

In September, Nexstar’s KOIN reported that the Trump/Vance campaign had not filed an optional affidavit or paid the required $3,500 for candidates to appear in the state’s pamphlet.

Kerns previously told KOIN that they contacted the Trump campaign several times to remind the campaign of the filing deadline and reimbursement, but never heard back.

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The Secretary of State’s office told KOIN last week that they received a large number of calls asking why Trump was not in the pamphlet.

“Our office and county elections offices have received many calls, social media posts and emails regarding former President Donald Trump’s decision not to file a voter pamphlet declaration. There are many inaccurate and false stories on social media regarding the voter pamphlet that have led to escalating phone calls with some hostile callers,” Kerns said.

She added: “It is unfortunate that frontline election workers are bearing the brunt of these calls, especially at a time of increased threats and intimidation against election workers and the election process.”

In Thursday’s announcement, the Secretary of State’s office reminded community members that it is a crime under Oregon law to harass or threaten election workers while on the job or while doing their job .

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Randall Blazak is an expert on extremism and part of Cure PNW, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that tracks and works to reduce political violence. He said the recent harassment is a serious problem.

“We’re talking to election workers about what their vulnerabilities are, and if tensions arise, how we can de-escalate those situations,” Blazak said. “The people who work in this field, the election workers, are often retirees, volunteers, people who are just doing their political job and who have different backgrounds.”

The Oregon Secretary of State’s office said they are working with state and federal law enforcement agencies to track down the offenders. They expect the phone lines to be operational by Friday.

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