Setting the Record Straight: What Willamette Week Got Wrong About UPTD and Vote-By-Mail

Willamette Week’s July 9 article, “The Man Who Wants to Kill Vote-by-Mail in Oregon Contests a May Election Result,” is riddled with factual inaccuracies, misleading implications, and a narrative clearly designed to discredit both the End Vote-By-Mail movement and a group of reformers who stepped in to stabilize a struggling public agency.

Let’s clarify what’s really happening in Douglas County.

❌ FALSE CLAIM #1: “Ben Edtl is contesting the May election.”

Fact: Ben Edtl is not contesting the May 2025 election results. That legal action was filed by Todd Vaughn, a former UPTD board member, who alleged irregularities in the administration of the election. The challenge is now delayed until January 2026 — a delay many in the community believe is politically motivated.

Ben Edtl, meanwhile, is serving as CEO of UPTD and has not taken any legal action related to the election.

❌ FALSE CLAIM #2: “Edtl and allies are refusing to certify results or pay the county clerk.”

Fact: The board has opted to withhold payment for one of five contested seats pending the outcome of a legal challenge — not to undermine the election, but to protect the district from potentially reimbursing an invalid result. This is not obstruction — it’s fiscal prudence. The other four races are not under dispute and are not being delayed. Watch the meeting for yourself.

❌ FALSE CLAIM #3: “Edtl led UPTD into financial and operational crisis.”

Fact: Ben Edtl stepped in as Chair after five board members, the GM, the Operations Manager, and later the HR Manager all resigned. He inherited an organization in disarray — with long-standing compliance problems and financial instability dating back several years.

In just six months, Edtl and his new board brought UPTD back into compliance, improved transparency, and restructured the agency to better serve the public. That’s not sabotage — that’s stewardship.

🧩 Missing Context: Political Interference in Local Governance

What Willamette Week failed to report is the political backdrop driving much of this drama.

In the months leading up to the May election, the Douglas County Republican Central Committee (DCRCC) and certain establishment legislators coordinated efforts to promote a handpicked slate of UPTD candidates. Their primary goal? To block any allies of the so-called “Roseburg Six” from gaining influence.

Why? Because these reform-minded citizens have a track record of challenging corruption, demanding transparency, and disrupting political favoritism. For some entrenched figures, that’s a threat.

The DCRCC, in conjunction with sympathetic legislators, saw the UPTD race as a chance to neutralize dissenters and consolidate power. And when their plan didn’t fully succeed, the media spin machine kicked in.

🗳️ Why Is Vote-by-Mail Being Dragged Into This?

Let’s be clear: the End Vote-By-Mail (ENDVBM) movement is not a conspiracy theory — it’s a policy campaign focused on strengthening election integrity by returning to secure, in-person voting with paper ballots counted by hand at the precinct level.

The effort is supported by over 80 volunteer leaders, thousands of petition circulators, and has drawn praise from grassroots organizers like Scott Presler.

Tying a legitimate, citizen-led campaign to a disputed local election (that Ben Edtl didn’t even contest) is not just lazy journalism — it’s political messaging disguised as reporting.

🧭 The Bottom Line

Ben Edtl did not file the election challenge. That was Todd Vaughn.
The election debt issue is about fiscal responsibility, not election denial.
Edtl inherited a broken agency and fixed it. That’s leadership.
The DCRCC and establishment legislators are using this issue to settle political scores.
The Willamette Week article misleads by conflating multiple unrelated issues into one distorted narrative.

🛡️ Final Thought

Oregonians deserve transparency in elections, in government agencies, and in journalism. What they don’t need is politically motivated hit pieces that obscure the truth to protect entrenched interests.

If you’re looking for who’s really disrupting democracy in Oregon, don’t look at the people trying to fix broken systems. Look at those trying to stop them.