Think Out Loud

The Oregon-based Vote At Home Institute is busier than it’s ever been, with states across the country trying to incorporate or transition to a vote-by-mail system. CEO Amber McReynolds says the organization has posted a strategy for states to use if they wish, and she’s been in contact with elections officials all over the country. But she says there are still many states that have so little experience with mail-in ballots that there’s a real danger of doing it badly. We talk with McReynolds on Ohio’s primary election day and ask how the state changed its system and what she sees as other states attempt to make voting COVID-19 safe. Today is Oregon's deadline to register to vote in the May primary.

After 20 years representing Oregon's 2nd Congressional district, Greg Walden is retiring. Walden is currently the only Republican in Oregon's congressional delegation, and members of his party are lining up to replace him. Earlier this month, we heard from some of the most prominent candidates running for Walden's seat in the Republican primary. Today, we’re adding one more: Justin Livingston. A real estate broker and Bend city councilor, Livingston announced his candidacy in late February, just two weeks before the filing deadline.

Beth Nakamura, a visual journalist for the Oregonian, has been working mostly out of her car for the past month. She wants to cover the pandemic and build a historical archive so we remember what it felt like. Nakamura joins us to share how she is creating a photographic record of COVID-19.

The three candidates for the Democratic nomination for Oregon Secretary of State join us by Zoom to make their case for why Oregonians should vote for them. The primary race may be the mostly hotly contested in the state. Shemia Fagan and Mark Hass are state senators. Jamie McLeod-Skinneris a natural resources attorney, a board member of the Jefferson County Education Service District and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.

Wildfire season is upon us, and firefighters are figuring out how to work through the coronavirus pandemic. State and federal agencies are halting controlled burns. They are also changing training and response tactics to practice safe social distancing. Oregon Department of Forestry Deputy Chief of Fire Protection Ron Graham joins us to share how he expects COVID-19 to impact wildfire season.

Portlanders will be voting on four city commissioner positions in the upcoming May 19 election. One of the most contentious races may be for position #4, currently held by incumbent Chloe Eudaly. This week we’ll talk to some of the most prominent candidates in that race. Today: Keith Wilson.

Oregon’s lone Republican representative in Congress, Greg Walden, is on the White House Economic Task Force. That’s the bipartisan group that will advise President Trump on reopening the American economy after widespread closures meant to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. We’ll talk with Walden about his economic forecast for his largely rural Oregon district, why he’s skeptical of making vote-by-mail an option across the country, and more.

Ramadan begins this week, and Portland area Mosques and Muslim faith communities are preparing to observe the holiday while adhering to the social distancing mandated by the governor’s stay-at-home order. The closure of businesses of all kinds has left many without a job or a way to meet their living expenses. Sajal Hubbs started Bollywood Eyebrows and had shops in four locations before efforts to curb the COVID-19 outbreak shut her doors and cut off all her income. Harris Zafar of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and Wajdi Said with the Muslim Educational Trust also join us to talk about how they’re responding to the pandemic and what Ramadan looks like this year.

Portlanders will be voting on four city commissioner positions in the upcoming May 19 election. One of the most contentious races may be for position #4, currently held by incumbent Chloe Eudaly. This week we’ll talk to some of the most prominent candidates in that race. Today: Mingus Mapps.

In addition to toilet paper and fresh produce, guns have been in high demand since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. OPB reporter Jonathan Levinson fills us in on who is buying guns in Oregon, and Erika Bales tells us how the past few weeks have been at her Hood River shop, Gorge Guns.

Harney County officials have sent letters to the governor asking her to reopen their economy as a “pilot project” for the rest of the state. Harney County has no confirmed cases of COVID-19. We hear from Harney County Judge Pete Runnels about his ideas for safely reopening.

More than 3,000 people live on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon. There are currently two positive cases of COVID-19 on the reservation, and tribal leaders are still urging community members to stay home and practice social distancing. Sue Matters, the station manager for the reservation’s news radio station KWSO, tells us what life is like on the reservation during the pandemic.

Portlanders will be voting on four city commissioner positions in the upcoming May 19 election. One of the most contentious races may be for position #4, currently held by incumbent Chloe Eudaly. This week we’ll talk to some of the most prominent candidates in that race. Today: former mayor Sam Adams.

Social distancing measures meant to curb the effects of the novel coronavirus are forcing people to rethink what a funeral looks like right now. We talk with Elizabeth Fournier, the owner and undertaker at Cornerstone Funeral Services in Boring, Oregon and Marie Henry, a certified funeral celebrant and Portland-based market leader for Foundation Partners Group, a company that operates funeral homes and cemeteries around the country.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling Monday on a case that directly affects Oregon’s judicial system. The court ruled that the U.S. Constitution requires unanimous jury verdicts in state criminal courts. Oregon was the only state still using non-unanimous juries to find people guilty of crimes other than murder. In Oregon, people could be convicted of many types of crimes with an 11-1 or 10-2 decision. While the Supreme Court was clear that this practice is unconstitutional, it did not weigh in on what this means for past cases. We’ll dig into the legal issues with Aliza Kaplan. She's a law professor at Lewis & Clark and directs the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic.

Portlanders will be voting on four city commissioner positions in the upcoming May 19 election. One of the most contentious races may be for position #4, currently held by incumbent Chloe Eudaly. This week we’ll talk to some of the most prominent candidates in that race. Today: Chloe Eudaly.

Stay-at-home orders in Oregon seem to have been successful at containing the number of coronavirus patients who need treatment in hospitals. But in case those numbers do start to climb again, hospitals are coming up with a plan for how to use limited resources. Richard Leman, chief medical officer for the Oregon Health Authority, and Robert MacCauley, professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health and Science University, were both on the team that came up with the recommendations.

Last week, Governor Brown announced that the three west coast states will work together on a plan to lift stay-at-home orders and allow businesses to reopen. Jennifer Vines, deputy health officer for the Multnomah County Health Department, and Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, share which factors the governors will take into account when making those decisions.

For the first time in decades, a Portland mayor has decided to run for a second term. Incumbent Ted Wheeler faces a slate of challengers. We’re hearing from the most prominent candidates this week. Today: Sarah Iannarone.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is thinking about how to reopen Oregon’s economy. She made news earlier this week when she announced in a joint statement with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and California Gov. Gavin Newsom that the three West Coast states will work together on a plan to lift “stay at home” orders and allow businesses to reopen. Brown clarified that she will rely on public health data and robust testing to determine the best path forward. We talk with Brown about next steps and some of the decisions she’s made thus far.