PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With the focus on elections — as discussions about the SAVE Act persist and the White House considers potential modifications to election procedures — a new report is highlighting significant concerns about whether Multnomah County’s Elections Division has the necessary backing.
Theperformance audit, released on Wednesday by Multnomah County Auditor Jennifer McGuirk, indicated that local elections are safe and that the system of ranked choice voting was effectively carried out for Portland’s November 2024 elections – with one significant exception:
Auditors caution that the division is functioning without essential support systems that contributed to the success of 2024, such as a comprehensive Voter Education and Outreach initiative, which has been removed from the county’s FY 2026 budget.
Since the program has been discontinued, the report cautions that the county will face difficulties in ensuring voters from east county—such as those in Gresham and Troutdale—are ready for the county’s ranked choice voting system.
Nevertheless, McGuirk highlighted that the integrity of the election is still robust.
Our elections are managed with honesty. Therefore, I believe people can feel positive about this,” she stated. “I think people can have a lot of confidence that fraud is very minimal – even if it exists at all, which, for someone in my position, is quite significant to mention.
Nevertheless, she mentioned that certain improvements are critical — particularly regarding voter education and assistance for staff.
Election workers face significant stress,” she stated. “There is considerable worry about the overall integrity of elections and an increased number of threats.
In 2024, a ballot box detonation took place, succeeded by acts of damage at the county election office in early 2025. As per the review, employees mentioned heightened anxiety linked to intimidation, abuse, and the overall political environment related to election activities.
“There is widespread worry among the team about ensuring they uphold the standards that everyone truly values and wishes to preserve for our voters,” McGuirk stated.
The audit revealed that the Elections Division depends on a limited permanent staff of 16 employees funded for FY 2025 — along with over 200 temporary workers during election periods. From 2019 onward, high turnover has led to a major loss of organizational expertise, as only three out of 11 employees from previous years were still employed by 2025.
Our staffing levels are similar to those in Washington County and Clackamas County,” McGuirk stated. “However, when looking at Denver County, for instance, which has a comparable number of voters—we have 14 full-time employees, while they have 30. Therefore, there are significant differences in how this essential function is staffed.
Auditors also discovered that only 33% of existing employees believed the onboarding process fully equipped them to handle their job duties, while only 20% of former employees felt similarly prepared.
A former worker stated, “There are positive individuals present, yet they don’t remain, and I am concerned that increased staff changes could lead to a significant system breakdown.”
Another issue is infrastructure. Auditors noted that the division has exceeded the capacity of its main facility—a building built in 1925 with limited parking, accessibility issues, and inadequate space to handle ballots during major elections.
“We would really like to see a proposal for replacing that structure,” McGuirk stated.
The audit also looked into ballot mistakes in 2024 connected to complicated district boundaries and Geographic Information System (GIS) data. Although the division has made efforts to decrease mapping-related ballot errors, McGuirk said to KOIN 6 News that the auditor’s office suggests bringing on internal GIS specialists by 2027.
Concerns about voter education and outreach were addressed by her when she spoke to KOIN 6 News, stating that if the suggestions are not taken into account, “I believe there could be a rise in both over votes and under votes.”
Due to the program being currently suspended, the division has once more asked for temporary funding for voter engagement efforts.
That would be the fourth instance where it has received funding through a one-time source,” McGuirk stated. “I believe the county needs to acknowledge that this isn’t something that will disappear.
East County Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon mentioned that he and Commissioner Singleton are working to resolve misunderstandings in areas that were not included in Portland’s 2024 ranked choice voting implementation.
Commissioner Singleton and I introduced an amendment to allocate $100,000 for voting education in my district, particularly in east Multnomah County, because we noticed from the data that there was a significant level of confusion and low participation.
When questioned if funding for voter education should be ongoing, Jones-Dixon stated to KOIN 6 News, “Yes, and we’ll address it during the budget discussions in April.”
In response to worries about reaching out to minority and non-English speaking voters mentioned in the audit, Jones-Dixon stated, “She’s 100% correct. I heard that directly from President Posey, from the NAACP.”
He stated, “Posey and the NAACP did this during the previous cycle, and we are taking the same approach while being deliberate, reaching out to community-based organizations in East Multnomah County to share that information with our residents… We understand it’s a key issue, and we’re addressing a need here in America’s favorite County.”
In the audit report, McGuirk commended the dedication of election personnel and encouraged county officials to take action.
My team and I witnessed the strong dedication that Election employees showed in their roles, and we appreciate everything they do to promote the right to vote and maintain the integrity of our democracy,” she stated. “I encourage county management to adopt my office’s suggestions to ensure the division can keep conducting elections that are safe, accessible, and secure.
Auditors suggested actions to ensure consistent voter education financing, enhance the onboarding process and team training, lessen the burden on staff, recruit internal GIS specialists, and create sustainable facility strategies.
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