Marian K. Schneider: “Oregon is leading the way towards better integrity and security with the passage of SB 944.”

The following is a statement from Marian K. Schneider, president of Verified Voting, on Oregon’s Senate passage of SB 944, offering counties the option to audit elections using a process known as risk-limiting audits, which are designed to bolster public confidence in elections. For additional media inquiries, please contact aurora@newheightscommunications.com

“Oregon is leading the way towards better election integrity and security with the Senate’s passage of SB 944. This bill requires county clerks across the state to conduct audits after every election — not just general elections — and lets them choose between a partial hand count and risk-limiting audits (RLAs). An RLA examines a sample of the paper ballots to check if the election outcome is correct. RLAs provide strong evidence when election outcomes are correct, and have a guaranteed large chance of correcting wrong outcomes or, outcomes that are wrong because of counting errors.

“Verified Voting team members worked closely with officials in Oregon, advising on model language, including a clear, correct definition of “risk-limiting audit” and requirements that match the expert advice in Principles and Best Practices for Post-Election Tabulation Audits.

“Oregon isn’t the first state to push for robust post-election audits. In 2017 Colorado became the first to implement these types of audits statewide and Rhode Island conducted an ambitious pilot earlier this year, preparing for statewide RLAs in 2020. New Mexico uses a related process and other states and counties are taking steps to implement RLA pilots. With the passage of this Senate bill, Oregon is taking the right step to implement an audit process. The bill now goes to the Oregon House of Representatives.”

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