Voters across Oregon may have already received their Voter Pamphlet in the mail and can expect their ballot to soon arrive, too.
However, those who want to vote in the May 16 election and aren’t yet registered, need to act fast. Tuesday is the deadline to register to vote in the May election, which will feature local races for school boards, fire districts, water districts and other positions, along with a slate of local ballot measures.
Some school board races are shaping up to be contentious and potentially expensive, including in Oregon’s sixth-largest district, North Clackamas.
In Multnomah County, voters will decide a seat on the county commission.
Voters can check whether their registration is current and what party they are registered with by visiting Oregonvotes.gov/MyVote and entering their first and last name and birthday. Voters who want to register to vote in the upcoming election should visit Oregonvotes.gov/register.
All voters registered at their current address will receive a ballot in the mail. Many counties will begin mailing out ballots Wednesday. However, Multnomah County voters should expect their ballots to be delayed. Multnomah County elections officials are reprinting more than 550,000 ballots and delaying mailing ballots to voters after a proofreading error led them to mistakenly place a Board of Commissioners race on ballots countywide.
Oregon makes it easy to vote. Voters can fill out their ballot at home, then pop it in the mail, no stamp needed. Voters can mail their ballot back or drop it off at an official drop box as late as Election Day. Five drop boxes at Portland libraries have been impacted by construction. Multnomah County voters can view the locations of current drop boxes online.
Voters will weigh in on key races and measures this May. Multnomah County voters will choose a new member of the Board of Commissioners to replace Jessica Vega Pederson, whom voters selected as county chair in November. County voters will also decide whether to institute a capital gains tax to provide legal defense for tenants facing eviction.
Voters across the state will also select a new slate of school and community college board members.
— Jamie Goldberg; jgoldberg@oregonian.com; 503-221-8228; @jamiebgoldberg
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