Elections, Politics, Washington County

Early voting turnout puts Washington County at 19.2%, below statewide average

A freshly painted ballot drop box in Forest Grove. Photo: Chas Hundley

Ballot returns in Washington County as of 9:09 a.m. Thursday, October 22 numbered 73,803, an amount representing about 19.2% of the total number of registered voters in the county, according to the office of the Oregon Secretary of State.

Statewide, the office of the Oregon Secretary of State updated totals to show that turnout in Oregon sits currently at 736,109 ballots returned out of the 2.95 million eligible voters, for a total turnout of 25% thus far. 

Broken down by the largest voting groups, Washington County has 148,518 eligible Democrats, of which 40,753 have voted so far for a total turnout of 27.4%; 129,148 non-affiliated voters, of which 15,085 have voted, for a turnout of 11.68%, 83,686 Republicans; of which 13,892 have voted for a turnout of 16.6%, 16,885 Independents, of which 3,130 have voted for a turnout of 18.5. 

Those who have turned in a ballot and are seeking to find out if it has been received by the county elections department should visit Oregonvotes.gov to check the status of their ballot, though it can take between 48 and 72 hours from when a ballot is dropped off at a ballot box — perhaps longer for ballots mailed — to appear in the system. 

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With twelve days to go before Election Day, the second and final presidential debate of the electoral season will begin at 6 p.m. Pacific Time, with NBC News’ Kristen Walker moderating the debate in Nashville, Tenn. The 90 minute debate will feature topics such as the coronavirus, American families, race in the U.S., climate change, national security, and leadership. 

Most major networks will be carrying the debate live, with livestreams from many news agencies present on Youtube as well. 

The recommended deadline to mail a completed ballot through the United States Postal Service is Tuesday, October 27, and all ballots mailed must be received before 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Oregon does not accept ballots that are received after that time.

After Oct. 27, ballots should be dropped off at one of the county’s 21 official ballot drop sites or delivered directly to the Washington County Elections office before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3.

More information and a history of the practice of voting by mail in Oregon can be read here

The Washington County Elections office is located at 2925 NE Aloclek Drive, Suite 170, Hillsboro, OR 97124-7523.

Washington County’s 21 ballot drop sites will close at 8 p.m., with early results announced by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office shortly after. 

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Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.

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