Recall ballots mailed
to voters in Willamina

Yes, those are the official recall ballots Willamina voters received in the mail Saturday and Monday.

The ballots were mailed Aug. 10 -- instead of Aug. 17 as previously announced by the Yamhill County clerk’s office.

"We’re sorry for any convenience we might have caused," said Charles Stern, Yamhill County clerk.

Stern said he originally told city hall the ballots would be mailed Aug. 17 but revised the date to Aug. 10 in a letter to City Recorder Gail Dossett on July 31.

Mayor Aileen Schnitzler, the target of the recall election, said Monday she was caught off guard by the early ballots. "It really frosts me. I don’t have all my signs out yet," she said.

Stern said the confusion over when the ballots were going to be mailed should not invalidate the election.

The deadline to return ballots remains the same -- Aug. 28. Ballots mailed back must have a postmark of Aug. 28 or earlier.

Ballots may also be turned in at a drop box in Willamina city hall or a box in the parking lot of the county courthouse in McMinnville.

Polk County voters living in the city need to mail their ballots to the courthouse in Dallas.