Election Logistics: Tillamook Clerk Preps Ballot Systems

Christy Nyseth stands in front of a blue metal box in Bay City, Oregon. It is Oct. 14, and the first ballots for the Nov. 3 election have just been mailed to voters. The box is one of 10 drop sites in Tillamook County. Nyseth unlocks it and pats the side, signaling that it is ready to accept returns. Deputies are the only staff with access to these locations.

The county clerk’s office handles more than just voting. It maintains voter records, issues marriage licenses, processes passports, and manages property transactions. Nyseth describes the workload as wearing many hats. Her team must ensure the ballot sorter is calibrated to scan barcodes and verify signatures against voter registration data. The machine sorts envelopes into the county’s 29 precincts.

The office installed the sorter in May. It processes ballots in half the time of the previous manual method. Nyseth says the speed justifies the cost as responsible use of taxpayer money. The system ingested over 800 new signatures in the weeks leading up to the election. Staff will run morning updates to keep the database current as Election Day approaches.

On Oct. 28, workers begin opening envelopes and preparing ballots for the tabulator. Teams of two, from different political parties, handle the count. Observers watch via livestream. The public can also watch a test run of the machine. One local resident attends every test. He is described as civic-minded and invested in the process.

Nyseth expects a long shift on Election Day. She will work from 7 a.m. until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. The team orders food and holds a potluck. A regular worker brings a large bowl of mixed candy. Nyseth calls it a candy salad. The staff eats and laughs while waiting for the final results to upload to the state site.

The clerk runs a monthly event called Coffee with a Clerk. It is a casual setting where residents ask questions about the office’s work. Nyseth says people consume a lot of online information and often want direct answers. She also held town halls in Tillamook, Manzanita, and Pacific City. These events cover the life cycle of a ballot, from creation to the two-year archival period.

Nyseth graduated from Tillamook High School and worked locally at a cheese company and a sausage factory before joining the clerk’s office. She met her husband at the sausage factory when they were teenagers. She says she still knows many residents personally. This local connection helps her explain election procedures to the community.