Today is the final day for Oregon voters to cast ballots in the May 19 Primary Election, and election officials are urging voters to use official ballot drop sites rather than mail ballots to avoid potential delivery and postmark issues.
Multnomah County Elections warned Tuesday that recent changes in U.S. Postal Service operations may delay postmarks, creating a risk that ballots returned by mail on Election Day could miss the deadline for counting. Under Oregon law, mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days to count. However, officials said ballots are not always postmarked on the same day they are deposited in collection boxes or at post offices.
As a result, election officials are encouraging voters to use official ballot drop sites before the 8 p.m. deadline Tuesday.
Voters may return ballots at any county elections office in Oregon or at any official ballot drop location statewide. Multnomah County noted that many library book drops also serve as secure ballot collection sites.
Officials said all registered voters should have received ballots by May 7. Voters who did not receive ballots or need replacements are encouraged to contact Multnomah County Elections immediately.
Election offices in Portland and Gresham will remain open until 8 p.m. Tuesday to assist voters with replacement ballots, registration updates, and disability accommodations. Multnomah County Elections also offers interpreter services for voters who need assistance in languages other than English. Election materials and information are available in 18 languages.
Voters can also use the county’s online Order Ahead Replacement Ballot Service before visiting voter centers to pick up replacement ballots. New this election cycle, replacement ballots may also be collected at the Holocene Will-Call Ballot Pick-Up location in Southeast Portland.
Officials continue encouraging residents to enroll in the county’s Track Your Ballot program, which provides updates on whether ballots have been accepted for counting or require voter action. The service is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, and Chinese.
The first round of preliminary election results will be released beginning at 8 p.m. Tuesday as ballots are processed. Multnomah County Elections typically reports approximately half of expected ballots on Election Day, with totals often reaching about 90% by the Thursday after the election.
The final certification of election results is scheduled for June 15.
