Election administration in Oregon
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| Election Information |
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| Voter registration |
| Early voting |
| Absentee/mail-in voting |
| All-mail voting |
| Voter ID laws |
| State poll opening and closing times |
| Time off work for voting |
| Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker |
| The Ballot Bulletin |
| State of Election Administration Legislation Reports |
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Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies, procedures, and enforcement. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee/mail-in voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.
Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Oregon:
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
Oregon is an all-mail voting state.[2] Each county provides privacy booths that voters can use to mark their ballot.[3] County clerks' offices are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time on Election Day.[4] Oregon is divided between the Mountain and Pacific time zones.
Voter registration
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in Oregon, one must be a resident of Oregon, a United States citizen, and at least 16 years old. Voters must be at least 18 years old by the day of the election in order to receive a ballot.[5] Potential voters can register online or by mailing in a voter registration form to your county election office. The deadline to register is 21 days before the election.[5]
Automatic registration
Oregon implemented automatic voter registration in 2016. For more information, click here.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Oregon has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
Oregon does not allow same-day voter registration.[5]
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Oregon, you must be a resident of the state.[5]
Verification of citizenship
Oregon does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who knowingly falsely registers "can be fined up to $125,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 5 years."[6]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[7] As of January 2025, six states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Early and absentee/mail-in voting policy
- See also: Early voting and Absentee/mail-in voting
Since it is an all-mail voting state, Oregon permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.
Oregon is an all-mail voting state. A ballot and voter pamphlet are automatically mailed to each registered voter two to three weeks prior to each statewide election. A return envelope is included that may be returned by business reply mail at no cost to the voter. Completed ballots must either be returned by mail and postmarked by Election Day or returned in person at an official dropbox by the close of polls on Election Day.[8]
According to the Oregon Secretary of State's website, "Students attending an out-of-state college or voters traveling during an election can still receive a ballot. Fill out the Absentee Ballot Request Form and return it to the county elections office, or update online using My Vote."[2]
Returning ballots
In Oregon, voters may return their completed ballot to the office of the county clerk by mail or in person. Returned ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received no later than seven days after the election. Pre-paid postage in the form of a business reply mail envelope is provided to voters casting their ballots by mail. Oregon permits individuals to return ballots in-person to the county clerk’s office on behalf of an elector.[2][9][10]
As of November 2024, 20 states allowed anyone chosen by the voter to return a ballot on the voter's behalf, with certain exceptions, while 16 states allowed anyone with certain relationships to the voter to return the voter's ballot. Four states allowed only the voter to return the voter's ballot, with certain exceptions, and two states required voters to return their ballots by mail. Eight states and D.C. did not specify who may return ballots.
Signature requirements and cure provisions
The county clerk may only count a ballot if it is returned in the proper envelope, if that envelope is signed by the correct elector, and if the signature is verified.[9]
Oregon law contains cure provisions, which offer the following instructions to correct a certain ballot issues:
| “ | (a) In order for the vote of the elector to be counted, the elector must provide evidence sufficient to disprove the challenge not later than the 21st calendar day after the date of the election. In the case of an unsigned return identification envelope, providing sufficient evidence may include completing a certified statement on a form provided by the county clerk. The Secretary of State shall design a standard form to be used for certified statements made under this paragraph.
|
” |
As of November 2024, 33 states had laws that included cure provisions, while 17 states did not. One state, Pennsylvania, allowed counties to establish a cure process.
Was your ballot counted?
Use the Ballot Search tool provided by the Oregon Secretary of State office to check the status of your ballot.
Voter identification requirements
- See also: Voter ID in Oregon
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Oregon is an all-mail voting state. When registering to vote, voters must provide their driver's license number or state ID card number. If voters can not provide this information, they can print and sign a online voter registration form and mail it to their county election office to complete their registration.[2]
As of April 2024, 35 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 24 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.
Valid forms of identification differ by state. In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID. To see more about these exceptions, see details by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.
Provisional ballot rules
Voters in Oregon are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, if a voter claims to be registered to vote but no record of registration can be found.[13]
A provisional ballot is counted in the following circumstances:[14]
- If the voter is registered to vote and cast the ballot correctly;
- If the "county clerk determines the registration of the elector is considered active or inactive"; and
- If the voter is "qualified to vote for the particular office or on the measure."
Was your provisional ballot counted?
The Oregon Secretary of State's office allows voters, including those who cast a provisional ballot, to check the status of their ballot here.[15]
Local election officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in Oregon
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Oregon generally utilizes a closed primary process. The selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members for presidential and legislative elections.[16][17]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article. As of September 2024, 28 states required employers to grant employees time off to vote. Within these 28 states, policies varied as to whether that time off must be paid and how much notice must be given.
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony
In Oregon, people convicted of a felony automatically regain their right to vote upon completion of their incarceration.[18]
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[19]
Voter list maintenance
All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).[20] The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.[21]
When names can be removed from the voter list
Oregon law authorizes county clerks to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list under the following circumstances:[22]
| “ |
(a) At the request of the elector; (b) Upon the death of the elector; (c) If the county clerk receives written evidence that the elector has registered to vote in another county in this state or in another state; or (d) If the elector has not responded to a notice described in ORS 247.563 and has not voted or updated a registration during the period beginning on the date the notice is sent and ending on the day after the date of the second regular general election that occurs after the date the notice was sent.[12] |
” |
Inactive voter list rules
If a voter is determined to have moved outside of their voting jurisdiction or to need to update their registration status, county clerks are to send them an address confirmation notice. The voter is to be considered inactive when sent a notice. If an inactive voter fails to respond to the notice and fails to vote in two consecutive general elections, they are fully removed from the list of registered voters.[23]
The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)
According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records and other sources, to provide member states with reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Members fund ERIC. New members pay a one-time membership fee of $25,000, which is reserved for technology upgrades and other unanticipated expenses. Members also pay annual dues. Annual dues cover operating costs and are based, in part, on the citizen voting age population in each state."[24]
By 2022, 33 states and the District of Columbia had joined ERIC. As of May 2024, 24 states and the District of Columbia were members in the ERIC program.[25]
As of August 2023, Oregon was participating in the ERIC program.
Post-election auditing
Oregon state law requires post-election audits. County clerks can choose to conduct a hand counted audit or a risk-limiting audit. In a hand counted audit, 10% of all precincts are counted if the margin of victory is less than 1% of the total votes cast; 5% of all precincts are counted if the margin of victory is between 1% and 2%; and 3% of all precincts are counted if the margin of victory is 2% or greater. If there is a discrepancy of greater than 0.5% in a hand counted audit, the sample is audited again. If the second audit has a discrepancy of 0.5%, all ballots are audited. If a risk-limiting audit is chosen, the secretary of state provides guidance on how to handle discrepancies. Hand counted audits must begin no later than the 21st day after the election and must be completed by the 30th day after the election. Risk-limiting audits must be completed before the election is certified.[26]
Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.[27][28]
Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.
As of October 2024, 49 states and the District of Columbia had some form of post-election audit by law. Of these, 35 states and the District of Columbia required traditional post-election audits, while six states required risk-limiting post-election audits by law. Eight states used some other form of post-election audit, including procedural post-election audits.[29][30]
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Oregon.
- Oregon Measure 90, Top-Two Primaries Initiative (2014)
- Oregon Measure 117, Ranked-Choice Voting for Federal and State Elections Measure (2024)
- Oregon Measure Nos. 300-301, Move Primary Elections to September Amendment (January 1936)
The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Oregon. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
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- Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
- We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan
The Ballot Bulletin
The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.
Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.
Ballot access
A cardboard ballot box at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
In order to get on the ballot in Oregon, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
- An individual can run as a write-in candidate.
This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Oregon. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Oregon
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Oregon's six United States Representatives and 90 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.[31][32][33][34]
Oregon was apportioned 6 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, 1 more than it received after the 2010 census.
HIGHLIGHTS
State process
- See also: State-by-state redistricting procedures
In Oregon, congressional and state legislative district lines are drawn by the state legislature. District lines are subject to veto by the governor.[35]
If the legislature fails to establish a redistricting plan for state legislative districts, it falls to the secretary of state to draw the boundaries.[35]
State law requires that congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[35]
- Districts must be contiguous.
- Districts must "utilize existing geographic or political boundaries."
- Districts should not "divide communities of common interest."
- Districts should "be connected by transportation links."
- Districts "must not be drawn for the purpose of favoring a political party, incumbent or other person."
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Oregon can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Oregon County Elections Officials
Oregon Secretary of State, Elections Division
- Public Service Building Suite 126
- 255 Capitol St. NE
- Salem, Oregon 97310
- Phone: 503-986-1518
- Toll free: 1-866-673-8683
- Fax: 503-373-7414
- Email: elections.sos@state.or.us
- Website: http://sos.oregon.gov
Oregon Government Ethics Commission
- 3218 Pringle Road SE, Suite 220
- Salem, Oregon 97302-1680
- Phone: 503-378-5105
- Fax: 503-373-1456
- Email: mail@ogec.oregon.gov
- Website: https://www.oregon.gov/ogec/pages/default.aspx
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Ballotpedia's election coverage
Click the tiles below to navigate to 2025 election coverage:- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2024
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See also
- State of Election Administration Legislation Reports
- Voting in Oregon
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Oregon
- Redistricting in Oregon
Elections in Oregon
- Oregon elections, 2025
- Oregon elections, 2024
- Oregon elections, 2023
- Oregon elections, 2022
- Oregon elections, 2021
- Oregon elections, 2020
- Oregon elections, 2019
- Oregon elections, 2018
- Oregon elections, 2017
- Oregon elections, 2016
- Oregon elections, 2015
- Oregon elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Oregon Secretary of State, “Voting in Oregon,” accessed April 20, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "votegen" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Deschutes County Oregon, “Voting in Oregon FAQ,” accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ Oregon.gov, "Public Elections Calendar, November 2024," accessed January 9, 2024
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Oregon Secretary of State, "Oregon Online Voter Registration," accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Oregon Voter Registration Card," accessed November 2, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 1, 2024
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Oregon State Legislature, “OR Revised Statutes, Section 254.470,” accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Oregon lawmakers approve paid postage for ballots," June 30, 2019
- ↑ Oregon State Legislature, “OR Revised Statutes, Section 254.431,” accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Oregon Legislature, "Chapter 254-Conduct of Elections, 254.408," accessed August 5, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Provisional Ballots," accessed August 5, 2024
- ↑ Secretary of State of Oregon, "Provisional Ballot Information and Provisional Voter Registration," accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State,"Frequently Asked Questions," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed August 5, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
- ↑ As of May 2024, the Justice Department notes, "Six States (Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) are exempt from the NVRA because, on and after August 1, 1994, they either had no voter-registration requirements or had election-day voter registration at polling places with respect to elections for federal office."
- ↑ The United States Department of Justice, "The National Voter Registration Act of 1993," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "247.555," accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "247.555," accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ ERIC, "FAQ," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ ERIC, "Who We Are," accessed May 29, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed August 5, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Election Assistance Commission, "Election Audits Across the United States," accessed August 22, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted in October 2024, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Post-Election Audits," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Why does it matter?" accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ Indy Week, "Cracked, stacked and packed: Initial redistricting maps met with skepticism and dismay," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Atlantic, "How the Voting Rights Act Hurts Democrats and Minorities," June 17, 2013
- ↑ Redrawing the Lines, "The Role of Section 2 - Majority Minority Districts," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 All About Redistricting, "Oregon," accessed April 28, 2015
