Across Oregon, voters line up to cast ballots in the final hours of Election Day

Editor‘s note: Today is Election Day. 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.



Election Day is here. About 61% of registered Oregon voters had turned in their ballots by Tuesday afternoon, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. And across the state, others lined up at drop boxes and election headquarters to cast their votes.

Pendleton resident Kyle Miller picked up a ballot from the Umatilla County Courthouse Tuesday and said he intended to turn it in later in the day. He said he felt good about voting, and waited until Election Day as he does every year to honor a family tradition.

“Growing up, it was always a big thing with my mom,” he said. “She always made dinner. We had an Election Day thing and talked about it, so I always like to do it the day of.”

Miller said he and his mother will be getting together again tonight for some homemade tacos.

More than 250 miles to the southwest, a similar spirit of civic engagement and camaraderie was in the air in downtown Salem, where Norm Parks had been hired to support a Marion County ballot drop.

Voters walked to the covered tent where Parks and a colleague accepted their sealed envelopes and passed out “future voter” stickers to people with kids. Many voters thanked them for being there and waving goodbye as they drove off. One driver even offered to get them coffee.

“It blesses my heart to see people so positive about their right to vote,” Parks said, adding that people wanting to ensure they are registered and that their vote is counted is “an expression of their will for our country and our state.”

Outside Multnomah County election headquarters in Southeast Portland, where the mood was upbeat, about 75 people lined up around the block waiting to vote on Tuesday morning.

Some said they chose to vote in person for the camaraderie and civic pride they feel. Others were new to Portland and didn’t have everything they needed to vote by mail.

Voter Ken Paul said he opted to vote in person so his ballot doesn’t catch on fire, a reference to arson attacks on voting boxes in Portland and Vancouver, Washington, reported in October.

Related: What you need to know about voting in Oregon and Southwest Washington

Despite that concern, the atmosphere was largely upbeat at Multnomah County’s election headquarters.

Across town in Northwest Portland, voter attitudes were mixed, with some people who lined up at a library drop box expressing anxiety and nerves.

Portland’s first go at ranked choice voting unfolds

The city’s first-ever election with ranked choice voting compounded that anxiety for some voters — those who have experienced city elections and some who were new to casting their ballots.

Benson Polytechnic High School student Leo Oller, who turned 18 on Election Day, called ranked choice voting “kind of annoying.”

But he liked being able to support multiple candidates.

“The good thing about ranked choice is, if there’s only one candidate that I like, I only need to check one. I can treat it just like I would a non-ranked choice ballot, but if you want to use it to its full potential, you can,” Oller said as he dropped off his ballot at election headquarters in Southeast Portland.

“It’s not my favorite choice,” Northwest Portland voter Tiffany Webb said, calling the city’s ballots confusing. “A lot of people don’t understand how it’s working and the process. Not a huge fan.”

Jeremy Loss, meanwhile, said he was excited to participate in the city’s first election with ranked choice voting.

“It’s kind of a bit of a mad house. Once there are too many options, you tend to get a little frazzled,” he said. “It’s going to be interesting. I’m interested to see how ranked choice works out.”

Some voters said they had plans to gather for dinner and drinks as results came in late Tuesday. The owner of a liquor supply company said it’s been a good week for his business.

Concerns about protests and the election aftermath

As people cast their ballots, a number of voters expressed concerns about political divisiveness and what will come next, nationally, after presidential ballots are all counted.

Margie Hughes, a lifelong Clackamas County resident, has been politically active for much of her life as a campaign manager and chair of the Clackamas County GOP.

“I hope the winners take it with grace, and the losers also take it with grace,” she said Tuesday, while serving as a ballot observer. The 2020 post-election unrest was not something she had seen before, and this year she is hoping for peace regardless of results.

In Portland, Pearl District resident Scott Schoettgen expressed his own anxiety about the outcome of the presidential election - and about what will happen nationally after the votes are cast.

“Portland, we‘re going to vote how we’re going to vote, but we don‘t necessarily have control, at the national level, of what’s going on in other parts of the country,” he said. “Regardless of how people are voting, I hope we can still facilitate a peaceful transition of power, as its pretty foundational to our democracy.”

Schoettgen says he hopes there’s no damage done to businesses and people’s property.

Businesses and law enforcement officials have likewise showed signs of concern. In downtown Portland, the Pearl District, and the Hollywood District in Northeast, some banks and other businesses have covered windows with plywood in case election results prompt destructive protests Tuesday night.

Related: Listen to 'OPB Politics Now'

“All the boarding up and fencing that’s been going up is making me feel more apprehensive,” Portlander David Rocker said as he prepared to walk to work downtown.

Amid concerns about potential civil unrest, Gov. Tina Kotek’s office said Tuesday she was “closely monitoring and coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure Oregon voters can safely cast their ballot.”

Unlike Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Kotek has not activated members of the Oregon National Guard in preparation for possible civil unrest. But Kotek’s office stressed that the guard would be ready to respond if necessary.

On Monday, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management activated the state’s Emergency Coordination Center, which serves as a hub for state agencies in emergency events.

Kotek’s office said agencies like the Department of Justice, Oregon State Police and Oregon State Fire Marshall are “currently in a heightened state of readiness to respond to any potential disruptions.”

The Oregon attorney general, along with the other 50 U.S. attorneys general, released a statement about efforts to keep the peace on Monday. It reads, in part:

“Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, we expect that Americans will respond peacefully and we condemn any acts of violence related to the results. A peaceful transfer of power is the highest testament to the rule of law, a tradition that stands at the heart of our nation’s stability. As Attorneys General, we affirm our commitment to protect our communities and uphold the democratic principles we serve.”

In Portland, Police Chief Bob Day announced last week that there would be increased police presence in the city, with officers canceling days off and working 12-hour shifts. He said a special unit of officers under the recently reconstituted Rapid Response Team would also be ready to handle crowd control during any potential unrest.

The Vancouver Police Department also made safety plans, prompted by the destruction of ballots at one of the city’s ballot drop boxes.

And in Washington County, a coalition of several law enforcement agencies announced on Monday they would be working together to protect the rights of voters, including the right to free speech, while condemning any acts of political violence.

A final push for turnout

Deep in the basement of the Umatilla County Courthouse, election workers huddled over tables and voting machines Tuesday as they attempted to process and count votes.

Dan Lonai, Umatilla County’s director of administrative services, said the election process has gone smoothly so far, but it hasn’t resulted in high turnout.

Exactly 50% of eligible voters had returned ballots as of Tuesday morning, the lowest turnout level in the state.

“Umatilla County is 36 out of 36 in turnout. We’re trying to improve,” Lonai said.

In the days leading up to the election, he said, elections staff have spread the word at events and local radio broadcasts while posting signs around town. They hope to pass the county’s 2020 turnout by the time all the votes are counted.

By Tuesday afternoon, turnout in Umatilla County had climbed to 55.7%, according to the Secretary of State’s office, putting it just ahead of Clackamas and Malheur counties, where turnout was just below 55%.

Back in Salem, Parks, the contracted Marion County election worker, was focused on making sure every ballot he received was properly signed and would be counted.

He also fielded various questions from voters as the traffic ebbed and flowed throughout the day.

“As busy as people are these days, it definitely pays to have things streamlined,” Parks said, pausing while he put a few ballots through the slot.

“This is a work day, obviously, and they’ve got, probably, families to go home to and cook dinner for,” he continued.

“So, anything that makes it easier, I think, is a plus for our political system.”

For anyone who hasn’t yet voted: Ballots must be submitted to designated drop boxes or county elections offices by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Thanks to a 2021 change in Oregon law, ballots postmarked by Election Day are counted, as long as they’re received within a week of the election. But at this point, officials say dropping a ballot in the mail won’t guarantee it gets postmarked immediately.