Harney County recall election linked to Malheur takeover
Associated Press 9:54 a.m. PDT June 28, 2016
BEND, Ore. (AP) — Last votes were coming in on Tuesday for a special election being held in eastern Oregon that was the site earlier this year of an armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge by militants opposed to overreach by the federal government.
Harney County Judge Steve Grasty, the top administrator of the sparsely populated high-desert county, faces a recall vote because he refused to allow the militants to use a county building to hold a meeting. Supporters of the recall say Grasty violated free speech rights and rights to freedom of assembly. The vote underscores divisions that remain in the county more than four months after the 41-day occupation ended on Feb. 11.
By late Monday afternoon, Harney County Clerk Derrin E. "Dag" Robinson had collected 58 percent of the roughly 4,400 ballots that were sent out. Voters can cast ballots at drop-off boxes until 8 p.m. Tuesday, at which time the last ballots will all be collected. In Oregon, voters can mail or drop off their ballots. There are no polling stations.
Robinson said that for only the second time in the county, a scanning machine will examine the ballots and tally up the results. He said that he is using his own Facebook page to try to boost voter participation. The county lacks a radio station and has only a weekly newspaper ...
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/politics/2016/06/28/harney-county-recall-election-linked-malheur-takeover/86469992/
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