Election workers process ballots at the Multnomah County election office in Portland, Oregon, Nov. 2, 2020.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Election officials are urging Oregonians to get their ballots in the mail by the end of Tuesday to guarantee their votes are received by the upcoming May 18 special election deadline.
Ballot drop sites will also remain open through 8 p.m. Election Day for voters who don’t send their ballots via the U.S. Postal Service early enough.
This special election cycle is set aside for votes on local issues, with a number of school boards seating new members across Oregon, and local property tax renewals on many ballots.
One of the more noteworthy — though not necessarily consequential — elections will take place in Eastern Oregon’s Malheur County, where voters will weigh in on a push to strengthen local ties to Idaho. If Measure 22-64 is approved, the Malheur County Court would be required to convene regularly to consider moving the state border, in an effort to put many rural areas presently in Oregon under Idaho’s control.
Last November, Jefferson and Union counties voted in favor of a similar push, telling their lawmakers to consider taking their communities into Idaho.
Related: 2 Oregon counties voted to look at joining Idaho. Now what?
Actually changing state boundaries would require votes by the Oregon and Idaho legislatures and the U.S. Congress.
A sampling of other local elections:
- In Multnomah County, voters are being asked to renew a property tax levy to continue funding for the Oregon Historical Society, raising $3.4 million to $3.9 million per year for the next five years.
- Clackamas County voters will weigh in on a property tax levy to continue funding the local sheriff’s office to the tune of more than $22 million per year for the next five years.
- In Deschutes County, the Sisters School District has put forth a $33.8 million bond to fund construction and renovation.
Stamps are no longer required on Oregon ballots — they now come with postage-paid envelopes. But the deadline remains as firm as ever: Ballots must be received by elections offices by 8 p.m. May 18, regardless of postmark.