Benton County election officials have just issued a release warning about a group calling itself “Benton County Concerned Citizens,” whose members are going door-to-door asking residents about their voter registration status and other registered voters living at their addresses.
(Photo: Official Ballot Drop Box/Benton County)
The announcement also says that some group members reportedly wear lanyards identifying them as members of the organization “Benton County Concerned Citizens.”
Here is what’s concerning. Almost every group or organization has a digital footprint these days. You know, they have a website, a social media page, a group page, or even a single mention in a discussion forum. Anything that would show up in a search query… zero.
How about a nonprofit listing in the state of Oregon? Zero. DOJ Charitable Activities search? Zero. State of Oregon ORESTAR campaign finance search? Zero.
Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Nextdoor, Discord, Bluesky, X. Zero.
So we are pretty much reporting on a press release from Benton County officials, about a month out from Election Day, about a group canvassing door-to-door, asking personal questions about your voter registration, because they are “concerned citizens.”
This is a group that has no digital footprint, no public messaging, and no official registrations. Yet, they felt making lanyards was important to identify themselves… to make them look, well, more official, is our guess.
If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, then this is something you probably want to duck.
The Benton County Elections Office acknowledged receiving inquiries from residents about the organization and made one thing clear: It has nothing to do with county government.
“Benton County Concerned Citizens is a grassroots organization that has no affiliation with Benton County government,” the Elections Office stated. “Its members are not employees of or volunteers for Benton County, and they do not act on the County’s behalf.”
The announcement does not establish how many visits have occurred, where they have taken place, or whether election officials have independently verified the reported encounters.
And while the county describes Benton County Concerned Citizens as a grassroots organization, its announcement provides no information about who founded it, who leads it, or what its objectives might be.
The group’s objective is the “we want to know” part. Not only because no one seems to know, including Benton County, but because, based on the group’s apparent inability to broadcast its message other than by going house-to-house with official-looking lanyards, it just seems a little nefarious.
Grassroots organizations can exist without a formal online presence, and door-to-door political canvassing is a common and generally lawful activity. And many of them are for a good or informative cause. But if you read our article about votesafe.org… quite often, there are many layers behind these groups, including hidden ties to political organizations with underlying agendas.
No one is coming to your door to ask about your voter registration just for fun. They have a purpose, and this group seems to keep its purpose far away from any online presence or messaging. They want you face-to-face only.
It should be mentioned that the Benton County Elections Office emphasized that its own staff does not conduct this kind of door-to-door inquiry. “If Benton County Elections staff have a question or concern about your mailing address or ballot, they will contact you by mail,” the county stated.
Nor has the county publicly accused the group of voter intimidation, fraud, or any other criminal activity.
What remains unanswered, other than pretty much everything, is whether the Elections Office knows who is organizing the visits, how many residents have reported encounters, whether any identifying materials have been collected, and what prompted the county to issue a public announcement.
They probably got some calls about it, and elections are coming up, so better safe than sorry, put out a press release, and inform the public.
If you had any interaction with “Benton County Concerned Citizens,” or know someone who is part of the group, we are concerned about their intentions. Email us at editor@corvallisnow.com.
The release can be found here.
This article was written by Jesse Grant, a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
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It's MAGA, of course. They are also taking notes for ICE. Don't speak to them, and tell them to Hit The Road.