State Rep. David Gomberg will host Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read for a town hall focused on election security, vote by mail and voter rights at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Philomath High School auditorium.
The April 25 event is the first of two town halls in House District 10 that Gomberg has scheduled with the state’s chief elections officer. A second town hall is set for 9:30 a.m. May 9, at the Lincoln City Community Center.
Read, who took office in January 2025 as Oregon’s 30th secretary of state, has said his first priority was holding the state accountable for delivering on its promises, managing tax dollars wisely and running secure, fair elections.
The town hall comes at a moment when Oregon is actively pushing back against federal intervention in state elections. Earlier this month, Oregon joined 22 other states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit challenging an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that the state argues would give the federal government the power to determine who can vote in Oregon.
“As secretary of state, my job is simple — protect our elections and make sure every eligible vote is counted,” Read said in an April 3 statement. “This latest executive order is a desperate, clearly illegal power grab from a president who wants to make it harder for the people to hold politicians accountable.”
Read said the U.S. Constitution gives states, not federal agencies or the president, the authority to run elections. He credited Attorney General Dan Rayfield and officials in other states for joining the legal challenge and said Oregon would continue to defend voters against what he called illegal federal overreach. Oregon pioneered vote-by-mail more than 25 years ago.
The town hall also comes about a month before Oregon’s May 19 primary election and three days before the April 28 deadline to register to vote or update registration in time to receive a ballot. Ballots are scheduled to be mailed to voters beginning April 29.
On Monday, Read’s office released the 2026 Elections Toolkit, a collection of civic education materials that includes handouts, social media graphics, newsletter copy and videos covering voter registration, ballot instructions and voter rights.
“There are two important elections this year Oregon — that’s two opportunities for you to make your voice heard and help shape the future of your community and our state,” Read said in a statement announcing the toolkit.
Read, a Willamette University graduate who earned his master’s in business administration at the University of Washington, previously worked at the U.S. Treasury and Nike Inc. before his election as state representative in 2007 and state treasurer in 2017. He lives in Beaverton.
Gomberg (D-Otis) is in his sixth term representing House District 10, which stretches from Lincoln City to Junction City and from Florence to Philomath, covering Lincoln County and portions of western Lane and Benton counties. He serves as co-vice chair of the Ways and Means budgeting committee and co-chair of its subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development.
For voters planning ahead for the May primary, the last recommended day to mail a ballot is May 12. After that date, the Secretary of State’s Office recommends using an official ballot drop box, delivering ballots directly to local elections officials or getting ballots postmarked at a U.S. Postal Service location. Ballots must be received by local elections officials or postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day, May 19.
Philomath High School is located at 2054 Applegate St.
