Cool Runnings - voters turning out in Wasco County

Tom Springs of The Dalles braved the cold weather on his motorcycle this morning to hand off his ballot at The Wasco County Courthouse. It is Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. You have until 8 p.m. to get those ballots dropped. Of the 18,211, ballots sent out, 12,958 had been returned as of this morning, according to Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee. That is 71 percent.

Bob Haechrel, a member of the Wasco County Democrats, was an official observer at the polls this morning. The Dalles Rotary’s Harold Haake and Ruth De La Rosa were manning the drop-off station. Haechrel said some 40 volunteers from his party have been observing the election process for weeks, including procedures for replacement ballots, signature verification and overall security of ballots. He said Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee used Youtube to give observers a birds-eye view of the process. Haechrel said the vote is so efficient easy and above board that he hopes their work helps to spread the use of mail-in ballots through the United States. “Talk about security,” he said. “Our elections are better because more people vote.”