 Secretary Read: ‘It’s Time to Get Ready to Vote’
SALEM, OR — Today, October 13, is the deadline for eligible Oregonians to register to vote for the November general election, and this morning Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read provided voters with a series of updates to help them get ready to vote.
Video of the press conference is available here.
To register to vote, a prospective voter must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Oregon, and at least 16 years old (only people 18 and older will get a ballot). The easiest way to register or verify an existing registration is online at OregonVotes.gov.
Ballots start being sent to voters in Oregon on October 14.
“Oregon, it’s time to get ready to vote,” Secretary Read said. “Elections are decided by those who show up. Don’t miss this opportunity to help decide the direction of our state and our nation.”
All Oregon voters will soon be able to sign up to receive updates on the status of their ballot for the November general election, from when it is sent to them, to when their ballot is accepted for counting.
Registered voters will be able to access BallotTrax at OregonVotes.gov/Track. The only information that will be needed is their first and last name, year of birth, and zip code. The information must exactly match the information on their voter record.
“We want every voter – from Multnomah County to Malheur County – to be confident in their vote,” Secretary Read said. “This is a quick, easy, and secure way for voters to know that their ballot is moving through the system and to let them know if there is a problem.”
Voters can choose to get updates via text, email, or phone call. Updates will be sent at three key points:
- When your ballot is sent to you by the county elections office
- When your ballot is received by the county elections office
- When your ballot is accepted for counting
If a ballot is not accepted because of a ballot signature issue, an update will be sent so the voter can take steps to make sure their vote is counted.
Voters across Oregon will have access to ballot tracking for the November 2026 election because the Oregon Legislature provided $154,000 in emergency funding last month to allow the state to cover the cost of the program for all counties.
When it comes to returning ballots, the best and most reliable option is for a voter to return their ballot to one of the more than 300 official drop boxes across the state. Counties will be announcing the locations of new drop boxes as they are established. The Secretary of State’s drop box locator will be available at OregonVotes.gov/Dropbox.
For voters who want to use the mail, Secretary Read strongly recommends doing so no later than October 27, one week before Election Day.
“Whether you return your ballot at an official drop box or through the mail, make a plan and stick to it,” Secretary Read said. “As soon as you’re ready to vote, fill out your ballot and get it back to us. Your vote is your power. Use it.”
This recommendation is supported by data released Tuesday by the Secretary of State’s office that details mail postmarking and delivery times across the state. In August, the Secretary of State’s office partnered with Oregon’s 36 county clerks to conduct a non-scientific test of Oregon’s mail system.
The goal was to gather evidence that either confirmed or challenged the recommendation that voters mail their ballot at least one week before Election Day in light of cuts to the U.S. Postal Service. In total, 108 pieces of mail were sent by county clerks back to themselves and tracked.
The data showed that, on average, it took a regular piece of mail 1.08 days to receive a postmark and 4.06 days to be delivered. However, times were inconsistent across the state, with mail from rural counties taking longer to be postmarked and delivered.
Critically, every piece of mail sent as part of the test would have been postmarked and delivered on time to be counted in an election, if sent one week before Election Day.
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