When an on-duty Multnomah County deputy shouted "Trump, Trump" at voters from his vehicle on election day, he violated Oregon elections law, a state investigation has concluded.
Deputy Jason Vetter of Fairview now faces a potential $75 fine for campaigning while acting as a public employee. He could face further discipline if an internal investigation finds he violated county policy as well, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office has said.
As we reported last year, dozens of people were waiting to turn in their ballots at county elections headquarters at SE Morrison and 11th on election day, when a sheriff's office vehicle rolled past. Witnesses reported a deputy within shouted something to the effect of "Trump!" or "Vote Trump!" through the vehicle's public address system. The incident led to several official complaints.
Nothing was revealed at the time about the deputy's identity, but Oregon Secretary of State documents obtained by the Mercury show it was Vetter, who'd been a passenger in a clearly marked county work crew vehicle while another deputy drove. The documents say Vetter was in uniform and on the clock when he "chanted 'Trump, Trump' while driving down the street and past the line of electors."
"There were several other candidates on the ballot for that office, and you only chanted one candidate's name," reads the "notice of proposed civil penalty" addressed to Vetter. Under Oregon law, it's illegal for a public employee to campaign for any candidate during working hours.
The Secretary of State's findings suggest that Vetter committed the violations despite recent admonishments to sheriff's office employees. On August 30, 2016, Sheriff Mike Reese sent an email to employees reminding them of "restrictions for elections and political activities for public employees" and included a message from County Attorney Jenny Madkour laying out the specifics of the law.
Then, on November 7, 2016, Lt. Chad Gaidos, the MCSO's public information officer, sent another reminder to employees saying, in part, "we must remain neutral in our political stance while representing the agency."
Either Vetter didn't read the notices or didn't care. Now he's being dinged with a fine.
"Similar to giving a speech in support of a candidate, chanting the name of only one candidate in this context is a form of advocacy," Investigation Specialist Aleea Sharp's letter to Vetter says. "Even though you did not chant 'vote for', the chant was only for one of many candidates."
The $75 fine is standard for a first-time violation of the election law provision against campaigning. A second violation is punishable by a $150 fine, and subsequent violations cost $250 apiece.
Vetter didn't respond to a request for comment on the finding. He has 20 days to ask for a hearing before an administrative law judge if he wants to contest the matter.
Gaidos, the MCSO spokesperson, didn't return calls for comment. Last year, he said the county would initiate an internal investigation into Vetter's conduct once the Secretary of State's investigation was complete.
Here's the full finding:
