What is Oregon’s voter registration deadline?
According to the Oregon legislature, you must submit your voter registration form to an election office at least 21 days before Election Day. The same 21-day deadline applies if you register by mail or online for an upcoming election.
If you move to a new address or a different county, you must update your voter registration at least 21 days before an election. The 21-day deadline applies if you are a new citizen, wish to change political parties, or need to make any other changes to your voter registration. This ensures your ballot arrives at the correct address. You can update your registration online, at the DMV, or by submitting a new registration form to your county elections office.
How do I get my mail-in ballot?
Your mail-in ballot goes to the address on your voter registration form. The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office has four voter registration statuses. If you do not receive a ballot before an election, you should check your status if you believe you should have received one.
The potential statuses are:
- Active voters: Receive ballots for all elections
- Inactive voters: Status may be deactivated for several reasons: a ballot was returned as undeliverable, the county received information that your registration changed, or you did not vote or update your registration for more than 10 years
- Canceled registrations: Due to registering in another state, a determination that your registration is not valid for other reasons (such as incarceration), or you had your name removed from the voter lists
You can correct Inactive and canceled registrations by re-registering to vote. This can be done in person at your county elections office, where you can also request a mail-in ballot.
Voting in Oregon
Oregon only has mail-in voting. It became the first state to conduct all statewide elections by mail-in balloting in 1998. Oregon’s vote-by-mail system has become the gold standard for elections, boosting voter participation and delivering election results more quickly. Despite a recent push to return to traditional polling places, Oregon’s mail-in voting remains the preferred method of voting for most Oregonians.
The state sends ballots 14-18 days before Election Day. If you believe your ballot was lost or receive a damaged ballot, contact your county elections office immediately to request a new one. You should only receive one ballot per election. Even if you get two for some reason, only one will count. To prevent fraud and miscounting, each ballot has a unique barcode. The most recent code is the valid ballot. If you do receive two ballots, notify your county elections office.
Your ballot will also contain a county voters’ pamphlet. This document contains information about the election, candidate statements (if submitted), ballot measures, and other information.
Challenged Ballots
If your signature on your returned ballot doesn’t match the signature on your registration form, your ballot is not counted until you correct it. You will receive a letter explaining the issue and information on how to correct it.
Primary and General Elections
Oregon has closed primaries. Each major political party holds separate primary elections to determine who will appear on the general election ballot. Members of one political party cannot vote in the primary election of the other party. Candidates for smaller parties and undeclared candidates will not appear on the ballots in the primary elections. Some nonpartisan offices and ballot measures may appear on primary ballots.
How To Cast Your Ballot
There are two different ways to cast a vote in Oregon. The easiest is to mail in your ballot. Under HB 3291 (2021), all mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days after the election. Mailing yours in as soon as possible can ensure your vote is counted, even if there are mail delays.
You can also use the official drop boxes. The drop box locator is active 20 days prior to the election. The deadline for placing a ballot in the drop box is 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Regardless of which method you use, once you have submitted your official ballot, you can track it online through Oregon‘s “Where’s My Ballot?” system.
Special Voting Circumstances
Some voters aren’t in Oregon during the election period. Military and overseas voters will receive absentee ballots from their counties about 45 days before the election. Student voters who want to vote in Oregon rather than their state of residence can use their parents’ address or another in-state address and receive a ballot at that location. You may only vote once in any election, no matter where you live.
Unhoused citizens can still vote in Oregon elections. As long as you have a residence address that is a physically identifiable location (a park, a shelter, a campground), you may use the county clerk’s office as your mailing address.
The following people cannot vote in Oregon:
- Felons currently serving a prison sentence
- Felons residing in a halfway house (if part of an incarceration sentence)
- Felons in a work-release program (if part of an incarceration sentence)
Once a felon completes their sentence, including all terms of probation or parole, they regain their voting rights and may re-register to vote.
Accommodations for Disabled Voters
If you need assistance voting, someone from the County Voter Assistance Team, the Facility Voter Assistance Team, or someone you choose can help you. There are legal guidelines that must be followed.
A person cannot help you vote if they are:
- Your employer
- An agent of your employer
- A union officer
- An agent of the voter’s union
You can contact the local election official’s office to confirm available accommodations for voters with disabilities.
Illegal Activity During Voting and What You Should Do
Thanks to Oregon’s vote-by-mail system, the electioneering and voter intimidation that plague other states are not issues here. The state of Oregon cares about the integrity of its elections. They want to know if citizens observe anything that can threaten that integrity. If you learn of anything that might impact an election, you should report it.
Vote-by-mail election tampering can include:
- Tampering with or destroying drop boxes
- Blocking access to drop boxes
- Stealing ballots from mailboxes before or after submission
- Threatening or harassing voters near drop box locations, including aggressive electioneering
- Possessing other people’s ballots without authorization
You can return another person’s ballot with their permission, but they must complete it, sign it, and place it in the tamper-proof sleeve themselves. You cannot open the envelope while delivering it. Organizations that assist in ballot collection can do so, but they must follow specific guidelines to avoid allegations of fraud.
Paying or coercing anyone to vote for a particular candidate or ballot measure is illegal. Fraud, deceit, and spreading misinformation are both state and federal crimes.
If you see anything happening at a ballot drop box or learn of any violations of these rules, don’t try to intervene yourself. The Secretary of State’s office handles investigations of violations of undue influence or voter intimidation.
For immediate reports of vandalism or other damage to drop boxes, notify local law enforcement or the Oregon Department of Justice. Following a series of arson attacks on ballot drop boxes in Portland and Vancouver, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has stepped up enforcement efforts against harassing voters attempting to submit their ballots or tampering with drop boxes.
An Oregon Civil Rights Lawyer Can Help
Contact a civil rights lawyer in Oregon if you feel someone has violated your voting rights. They can help determine whether a violation has occurred and pursue justice on your behalf.
Your attorney can also answer questions you have about voting in Oregon. They can show you how to confirm your voter registration status and prepare for the next election. Visit our attorney directory to find a lawyer near you who can help.
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