Two ballots are dropped off in Forest Grove. Photo: Chas Hundley
If you’re registered to vote in Oregon and you haven’t yet voted, you’re now in the minority. According to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, there were 1,541,944 votes cast as of Wednesday morning, representing 52.3% of nearly 2.95 million registered Oregon voters.
And if you do vote, it’s too late to drop that ballot in the mail and have any certainty it’ll arrive at the county elections office in time, so head over to one of Washington County’s 21 official ballot drop sites — some of which are open 24 hours a day — and slide your envelope on in.
Oregon does not accept postmarked ballots after November 3 at 8 p.m. If you risk voting by mail at this juncture, you risk throwing away your vote.
“The unofficial data we have on ballot returns looks like we are well on our way to another record number of ballots cast for a General Election,” Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno said in an October 23 press release. “This is great news that so many people are participating in our democratic process, with voting being safe, secure, and accessible, it is no wonder we are seeing high turnout numbers. Your ballot and vote is your opportunity to make your voice heard.”
Washington County voters have turned in 226,333 ballots as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 28, according to the Washington County Elections office, which represents about 58.67% of eligible voters in the county.
Broken down by the four largest registered voting groups, as of the statewide county on Wednesday morning, Washington County had 148,822 eligible Democrats, of which 96,381 have voted for a total turnout of 64.76%; 129,426 non-affiliated voters, of which 49,244 have voted, for a turnout of 38.05%, 83,848 Republicans; of which 43,475 have voted for a turnout of 51.85%, and 16,976 Independents, of which 8,840 have voted for a turnout of 52.07%.
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.
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. on Nov. 3, with early results announced by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office shortly after.
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.
