BEND, OR -- Several Central Oregonians have reported receiving ballots addressed to a deceased voter, despite claims by the Secretary of State’s Office that voter rolls are constantly updated to remove people who have moved or passed away.

Deschutes County Clerk Steve Dennison says his office even checks published obituaries to keep registrations updated, but admits some names may slip through the cracks. He recommends marking the unopened ballot “return to sender” so the registration gets inactivated. A family member can also call the clerk's office to have the name fully removed from the rolls.

The Secretary of State's Office replied to KBND's written questions on the matter, saying there are "preventative measures in place to ensure only living, eligible voters cast a ballot. For instance, if someone falsely casts a deceased voter's ballot, it would be removed because the signature wouldn't pass a signature matching review against the signature on file." The statement also says anyone attempting to vote for a dead person could face felony charges.