Clackamas County voters must register or update their information by Tuesday, Oct. 13, to cast a ballot in the Nov. 3 general election.

County Clerk Catherine McMullen joined elections officials from Marion, Multnomah, Washington and Yamhill counties in a joint statement for National Voter Registration Day, urging Oregonians to check their registration at oregonvotes.gov, sign up for free ballot tracking and make a plan to return their ballots. McMullen is also a filed candidate for County Clerk on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to the county elections page.

The election includes local, state and federal races as well as ballot measures.

Key dates

  • Oct. 13: Online voter registration deadline at 11:59 p.m. The Clackamas County Elections office stays open until 7 p.m. that day.
  • Oct. 14: Ballots begin mailing to registered voters. Official Ballot Drop Sites also open.
  • Oct. 22: Voters who have not received a ballot should contact the elections office.
  • Nov. 3: Election Day. Ballots must carry a valid postmark on or before this date, or be returned to a drop site by 8 p.m. The elections office is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters who will be away from home during the voting period can request an absentee ballot starting Monday, Sept. 21. Absentee ballots can be mailed to a temporary address or picked up at the county elections office.

Why drop sites matter

McMullen has recommended using official drop sites rather than mailboxes, citing changes in U.S. Postal Service processing.

During the May 19 primary, more than 7,300 of the 55,000-plus ballots that arrived during the post-election grace period could not be counted because they carried a postmark after Election Day, Oregon City News Online reported. That 13.1% rejection rate was higher than any prior Oregon election.

"Does it make sense to change the rules in the middle of the game? … It's not practical. It's not right," Secretary of State Tobias Read said at a Tuesday, Sept. 8, press conference where he, Gov. Tina Kotek and U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged voters statewide to use drop boxes.

Read sought $1.25 million from the Legislature's emergency board, including $120,000 for 20 new ballot boxes.

Local drop sites

Clackamas County operates 26 drop sites open around the clock through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voters may return a ballot to any official drop site in the state.

Drop sites are free to use. Locations nearest Oswego Chronicle readers:

  • Lake Oswego: City Hall, 380 A Ave. (drive-up access); Westlake Park, 14165 Bunick Dr. (drive-up access)
  • West Linn: City Hall, 22500 Salamo Rd.; Public Library, 1595 Burns St.
  • Oregon City: Clackamas County Clerk and Elections, 1710 Red Soils Ct.; City Hall, 625 Center St. (drive-up access)

Voters can sign up for free ballot-tracking notifications by text, phone or email at ballottrax.net/voter. Contact Clackamas County Elections at 503-655-8510 or [email protected].