Kasich Largely Missing From Official Pamphlet Sent to 1.8M Oregon Households

The omission could cost Kasich votes in Oregon.

ByABC News
April 26, 2016, 2:23 PM

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ohio Gov. John Kasich faces a major hurdle in Oregon's upcoming primary: His photo and biography are missing from an official voter pamphlet mailed last week to about 1.8 million Oregon households.

The omission from the Voters’ Pamphlet, an informational document mailed by the Oregon secretary of state’s office to every Oregon household, may prove significant in a state where voters cast their ballots exclusively by mail. Oregonians can start mailing in their ballots three weeks before the May 17 primary. Twenty-eight delegates are at stake.

The secretary of state’s office sent Kasich a letter on Jan. 12 saying he was qualified to appear on the ballot in Oregon and that he could send a statement to appear in the Voters' Pamphlet, according to Molly Woon, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins, a Democrat. “We never heard anything from his campaign,” Woon told ABC News.

That could cost Kasich votes in Oregon.

"We certainly hear stories about families gathering around the kitchen table with the Voters’ Pamphlet to make their decision and cast their votes,” Woon said. "We believe it is an important resource for our voters."

Kasich is listed on a small section showing all the candidates for every office, but he has an asterisk next to his name that denotes, "Candidate chose not to submit a voters’ pamphlet statement.”

Cruz and Trump have a full page to themselves, split down the middle, showing their photos, biographical information and a statement from each one.

A spokesman for Kasich argued the governor’s record against Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in hypothetical general-election matchup polling would propel him in Oregon.

"Gov. Kasich is on the ballot in Oregon, and the campaign will do its part to educate voters about why they should vote for him the primary,” spokesman Mike Schrimpf told ABC News.

The Willamette (Ore.) Week first reported this omission.