A voter drops a ballot outside of the Multnomah County Elections Division in Portland, Ore., Nov. 8, 2022. Oregon voters can vote by mail-in ballot, drop ballots at secure sites, or vote in-person
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
With just over a week left before this month’s primary election, Oregon voters are returning ballots at a rate lower than in previous elections.
More than 213,700 voters have returned ballots so far this year, according to data from the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. That’s about 7% of the state’s more than 3 million registered voters.
At this point in 2022, Oregon’s voter turnout rate was 9.8%. In 2020, it was just under 11%.
The state’s three most populous counties are reporting a similar trend.
In Multnomah County, more than 40,800 ballots had been returned as of Monday, data show. On the same day in 2022, that number was 76,670, and in 2020 it was 115,629.
This year’s turnout comes despite total voter registrations increasing for the third consecutive primary election in Multnomah County, with 539,380 residents registered as of this month. That means the percentage of voters turning in ballots has declined each year, falling to this year’s rate of 7.2%.
Still, Multnomah’s turnout tops Clackamas and Washington County. Roughly 5.8% of ballots have been received and accepted in Clackamas County and 6.6% in Washington County.
Tim Scott, the director of Multnomah County Elections, said the office was anticipating lower turnout this year, partly because the presidential primary has been decided for months.
In addition, he attributed the low rates to the fact that Portland City Council no longer has primary elections due to its new ranked-choice voting system.
“Of course, there’s still a week and a day left,” Scott said.
Scott encouraged residents to place their ballots in an official ballot box before the May 21 primary to ensure it gets counted.
“There’s still a lot of contests on the ballot for people to vote on,” he said.
Scott said that Multnomah County residents should have already received their ballots. If they haven’t, he said, they can contact the Multnomah County Elections office at 503-988-3720 for a replacement ballot.
Ballots must be postmarked by May 21st or dropped in an official drop box by 8 p.m. on election day.