With the Oregon primary elections quickly approaching, the deadline to register to vote is just around the corner. April 30 is the last day to register or change your party affiliation for this upcoming election in Oregon.
The primary election, which will occur May 21, covers the nomination of national and state leaders including the president and vice president, state and federal Congress members, secretary of state, attorney general and state treasurer. The winners of the primary election will then be on the ballot for the general election in November.
Oregon voters may register with either one of the two major political parties, Republican or Democrat, or with one of six minor political parties in Oregon: Constitution, Independent, Libertarian, Pacific Green, Progressive or Working Families.
In Oregon, major political parties may, and often do, choose to have closed primary elections. This means you may only vote for candidates of the same party with which you are registered. For example, if you are a registered Democrat, you may only vote from a pool of Democratic candidates. If you are registered with a third party, you will not be able to vote in a closed primary election.
Oregon is a vote-by-mail-only state, meaning there is no in-person voting. Once registered, you will receive your ballot in the mail along with a pamphlet outlining the candidates and their campaigns. Make sure you are registered with the address at which you would like to receive your ballot as this may have changed since you last voted.
Completed ballots must be mailed in and postmarked or placed in a drop box by 8:00 p.m. on May 21. Ballot drop boxes will be available throughout Corvallis and Oregon at large with a box conveniently located at Gill Coliseum. Visit the Benton County Elections website to find the ballot drop box nearest you.
Register today with Oregon’s MyVote website.
