Voting, Step By Step
ORS 247.025 and ORS 254.470 — registered by the 21st day before, and a mailed ballot postmarked by election day
Registered by the 21st day before. To vote in an election, a registration card has to be received at a registration office by its close of business on the 21st day before the election, postmarked by that day, or delivered electronically by 11:59 p.m. that day. A qualified person may register at 16, but may not vote until 18.
The ballot comes by mail. The county clerk mails an official ballot, a return identification envelope and a secrecy envelope to each active voter not sooner than the 20th day and not later than the 14th day before the election. A ballot that is lost, spoiled or never arrives can be replaced.
Returned by 8 p.m., or postmarked by election day. The voter marks the ballot, signs the return envelope and returns it by mail or at an official drop site. A ballot deposited in person has to be in by the close of the drop sites, at least 8 p.m., on election day. A mailed ballot counts if it is received by then, or if it was mailed by election day and arrives within seven calendar days after it. Anyone returning another voter's ballot deposits it within two days.
A ballot is counted only if returned in the signed envelope and the signature is verified against the registration record. If the envelope is unsigned or the signature does not match, the clerk mails a notice, and the voter has until the 21st calendar day after the election to resolve it. Voting after a conviction and voter qualifications are not on this page. Questions about a particular ballot are for the county clerk.
Sources for this section (4)
- ORS 247.025 — Registration deadline
- ORS 247.016 — Registration of person who is 16 or 17 years of age
- ORS 254.470 — Procedures for conducting election by mail
- ORS 254.431 — Special procedure for ballots challenged due to failure to sign return envelope or nonmatching signature
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Oregon attorney.