With Oregon’s November general election approaching, Secretary of State Tobias Read is encouraging residents to verify their voter registration or complete a new registration following National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 15.
The statewide reminder comes less than a month before Oregon’s Oct. 13 registration deadline for the Nov. 3 general election. Ballots are scheduled to begin entering the mail Oct. 14, placing voter registration and current mailing information among the administrative details residents can address before ballots are distributed.
Oregonians may register through the state’s online voter registration system or use My Vote to confirm and update an existing registration. The system also allows voters to review their registration information, locate county election offices and, once ballots are issued, check ballot status and find official drop sites.
For Southern Oregon residents, the same requirements and deadlines apply across Josephine, Jackson, Douglas, Klamath and neighboring counties. Voters who have moved, changed a mailing address or otherwise altered information connected to their registration can review their records before ballots are mailed. Because Oregon conducts elections primarily by mail, an accurate registration address is used to determine where an eligible voter’s ballot is sent.
Oregon residents may register beginning at age 16, provided they are U.S. citizens and Oregon residents. Those who register at 16 or 17 do not receive a ballot until an election occurring on or after their 18th birthday.
Online registration requires an Oregon driver license, permit or identification card number. Residents without one may provide the last four digits of their Social Security number and a signature. Oregon also provides paper registration options through county elections offices for residents who cannot complete the process entirely online.
Read said checking a registration can be completed quickly and encouraged residents to confirm their information before the election calendar advances further into the fall.
“It takes less than 2 minutes to register to vote or to check your voter registration to make sure you are ready to cast your ballot this November,” Read said. “Voting is how citizens hold government and politicians accountable, it’s how we select representatives at all levels of government, and it’s how we collectively decide the direction for our state and our nation. Your vote is your power. Use it.”
Oregon’s general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3. All registered Oregon voters may participate in the general election regardless of political affiliation. Mailed ballots must carry a valid Election Day postmark, while ballots delivered to an official drop box must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.