The Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division was forced to halt its phone lines on Thursday after receiving numerous calls from enraged supporters of Donald Trump following the online spread of misinformation.
Just got this voter’s pamphlet in the mail living in central Oregon and where the fuck is Trump? Isn’t this election interference???? We need to make Oregon red and vote for Trump!!! #Trump2024 pic.twitter.com/rVgbP8o7fV
— Cheems Neil (@StickyKeef) October 12, 2024
Oregon voter pamphlets do not include Donald Trump. He also is not listed on the Oregon State Government website under presidential candidates.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 10, 2024
What's going on?
H/T @gunclubprez pic.twitter.com/0J0L3PTKns
RIGGED! Trump/Vance not in the Oregon Voters’ Pamphlet. Share this far and wide! I want to see prison time for all who are responsible. pic.twitter.com/wfaZ7E2CBt
— UnwokeMe (@UnwokeMe) October 13, 2024
The callers, who were largely phoning in from out-of-state, expressed their frustration at the former President's discussion on the state's voters' pamphlet. In reality, Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, are included in the pamphlet. They are listed alongside a disclaimer indicating that the Trump campaign refused to provide a statement for the pamphlet, limiting his own inclusion into the document.
Just got my Oregon ballot, and Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are right there. They’re also listed in the state voters’ pamphlet, with an asterisk because they didn’t submit statements. For the love of God, stop harassing Oregon election workers. #orpol pic.twitter.com/JQWkw67Vu8
— Julia Shumway (@JMShumway) October 17, 2024
The Oregon Republican Party also released a statement explaining Trump's apparent absence from the voters' guide, indicating that the Republican presidential ticket will still appear on the ballot come November.
"Many people are wondering why no campaign statement from President Donald J. Trump was included in the Oregon Voters' Guide which arrived in Oregonians' mailboxes this week. The decision not to submit a statement was made by the Trump campaign earlier this year," they wrote. "Rest assured: President Trump WILL be on your ballot, along with other strong, common-sense Republican candidates."
The Trump campaign chose not to participate. It was not an omission by officials. Trump/Vance will still be on your ballot. The GOP clarified this in May: "The decision not to submit a statement for the voter’s pamphlet was made by the Trump campaign." https://t.co/tCIy7covnO https://t.co/FL7yyORC3k pic.twitter.com/SQZ8MRVdNU
— OR Secretary of State's office (@OregonSOS) October 10, 2024
Despite this, Trump supporters buying into misinformation continued to overwhelm the Secretary of State Elections Division's phone lines, forcing them to shut them down despite having issued numerous explanations for the voters' guide.
"Why isn't Donald Trump in the voters' pamphlet?" wrote the office on X (formerly Twitter). "Our office doesn't decide which candidates appear in the voters' pamphlet. Instead, the candidates decide whether to submit a statement and we publish them exactly as they are submitted."
Why isn't Donald Trump in the voters' pamphlet?
— OR Secretary of State's office (@OregonSOS) October 17, 2024
Our office doesn't decide which candidates appear in the voters' pamphlet. Instead, the candidates decide whether to submit a statement and we publish them exactly as they are submitted. pic.twitter.com/93ERN95cje
"Oregonians who need assistance will now have to wait because some individuals operating in bad faith are misleading people online," Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said in a news release. "Spreading rumors and false claims of election interference does nothing to help Oregonians."
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