Editor’s note: Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Stay informed with OPB on the presidential race, key congressional battles and other local contests and ballot measures in Oregon and Southwest Washington at opb.org/elections.
Oregonians are flocking to local election offices as Tuesday’s deadline to register to vote approaches.
FILE - This May 17, 2022, file photo shows an Oregon mail-in ballot. Oregonians have until Oct. 15, 2024, to register in time for the general election.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
“We’re pretty busy,” Tim Scott, the director of Multnomah County Elections, said Monday. “We have had a steady stream of people coming into the office to register today.”
So far, just over 3 million Oregonians have registered to vote, according to the latest Oregon secretary of state data. Statewide, there are 1,005,275 Democrats, 730,249 Republicans and 1,108,299 nonaffiliated voters, according to state data.
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Between now and election day, Scott anticipates a high voter turnout — upwards of 80% — in Multnomah County. He’s curious when people are going to return their ballots, which would impact how many can be counted on election night.
“It’s higher if people vote early, and it’s lower if people vote late,” Scott said.
The county elections office is also preparing to contend with Portland’s first election using ranked-choice voting, educating voters through events, billboards and bus wraps. He said elections officials are concerned about misinformation spreading across social media.
“We’re trying to be very proactive by getting information out there with press releases and social media making sure people know that we are the trusted source of information,” he said. “But we also haven’t seen a huge surge in that this election, at least in Multnomah County.”
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Taken together, the number of registered Republican and Democratic voters in Oregon has declined by more than 85,000 people compared to the same time in 2020, according to state data.
John Horvick, a pollster and the senior vice president of DHM Research, attributes the increase in nonaffiliated voters to the state’s Motor Voter system, which automatically registers voters as nonaffiliated when they acquire a state driver’s license or identification card. He says these voters are predominantly young people who are new to Oregon.
Gov. Tina Kotek recently directed the state’s Driver & Motor Vehicle Services to pause automatic registration after state officials discovered that more than 1,500 people had been improperly registered to vote.
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Horvick said the decline in party members could be attributed to people dying or moving out of the state, rather than distrust in the two major parties.
Since August, when President Joe Biden abandoned his reelection bid and Vice President Kamala Harris launched her campaign, Oregon Democrats have gained over 19,000 registered voters, while Republicans have gained about 9,400.
“It’s not a lot of people within the context of 3 million registered voters,” he said. “But you know, if you’re looking for signals, that’s a signal. Maybe a weak one, but it’s there.”
Horvick noted that both parties tend to have similar turnouts in general elections and that turnout can be especially key in tightly contested congressional elections.
“If you’re Janelle Bynum or Andrea Salinas, you’re not going to say you’re glad that Joe’s out, but you’re glad that Joe is out and there’s somebody the Democrats are excited about, because those are really competitive races,” he said.
Oregonians have until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to register and receive a mail-in ballot. Ballots must be postmarked or returned in person by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.
People who haven’t registered in Oregon must have a state driver’s license or identification card to register online. They can register at the Oregon secretary of state’s website, where they can check their registration status and update their address. If the address is not current or deliverable, the ballot will be sent back, and the voter will be listed as inactive.
Ballots will be mailed out throughout the week. Scott urges Oregonians not to wait to return their ballots.
“If we get their registration or their ballot back earlier, that helps us and the public at the same time,” he said. “We’re able to process those registrations and ballots over time and get results out quickly. Just don’t wait. Do it now.”