PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Election Day has arrived in Oregon, and voters who haven’t yet turned in their ballots for the Nov. 4 special election still have several options to make sure their votes are counted.
Mail-in Ballots
Registered voters can still mail their ballots today, and they will be counted as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 4. However, election officials across the state — especially in Multnomah County — are warning that mailing ballots on Election Day could be risky.
Recent U.S. Postal Service changes have caused delays and inconsistencies in postmarking, meaning that ballots dropped in the mail today may not receive a same-day postmark. If that happens, those ballots won’t count, even if they are received later in the week.
Also Read
To avoid that uncertainty, election officials strongly recommend dropping ballots off in person rather than mailing them.
Ballot Drop-Off Options
Voters have until 8 p.m. tonight to return their ballots at an official ballot drop site or county elections office. Any ballots dropped off after that time will not be counted, regardless of when they were filled out.
In Multnomah County, most Multnomah County Library 24-hour book drops are also serving as official ballot drop locations. These sites are designed to be safe, secure, and convenient, ensuring that every voter’s ballot is protected until it’s collected by election staff.
Voters can find their nearest drop-off site using online tools:
-
Multnomah County voters can use a map provided by the county elections office.
-
Voters elsewhere in Oregon can use the Oregon Secretary of State’s website to locate their county’s designated ballot boxes.
Counties Voting Today
Only 17 of Oregon’s 36 counties are holding elections this cycle. While it’s a smaller, off-year vote, these elections still carry important local implications.
Ballots in these counties include levies, bond measures, and policy proposals that will shape funding for schools, fire departments, public safety, and local recreation facilities. Some measures will also determine whether citizens can veto high-cost public projects, giving local communities a direct say in spending priorities.
Measures in the Portland Metro Area
In Multnomah County, about 466,000 voters received ballots this year. Those ballots include just two measures:
-
A five-year levy to fund Portland city parks and recreation programs.
-
A school construction bond for the Lake Oswego School District to upgrade and modernize school buildings.
Elsewhere in the Portland metropolitan area, several additional measures are on the ballot:
-
West Linn-Wilsonville School District and Oregon Trail School District voters will decide on bond measures to improve classroom infrastructure and student facilities.
-
Washington County voters are considering levies to support public safety and libraries.
-
In Clackamas County, measures will decide whether to annex Gladstone and Sandy into the Clackamas Fire District and whether to fund a new community center in Happy Valley.
After the Polls Close
Ballot drop boxes will close promptly at 8 p.m. Once they are sealed, election workers will begin collecting and processing ballots.
Preliminary election results are expected to be released shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday. These early tallies will include votes received and verified before Election Day. More results will follow throughout the evening and coming days as counties continue to process ballots.
Oregonians can track live updates and final vote counts on OregonLive.com, which will publish results within minutes of release from local elections offices.
Final Reminder
For those who have not yet voted, time is critical. Officials urge voters not to delay and to use drop sites rather than mail to ensure their voices are heard. As Oregon’s long-standing vote-by-mail system continues to evolve with changing postal operations, using official drop locations remains the safest and most reliable option for same-day voters.
