Report: Oregon No. 5 in voter turnout, No. 8 in registration

Oregon scored in the top quarter of states for elections performance in a widely respected index of elections measures released Tuesday .

The Elections Performance Index, or EPI, is a comprehensive assessment of election administration in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Using data from 17 key indicators, Oregon scored 77 percent out of a possible score of 100, including ranking fifth in voter turnout and eighth in voter registration.

“It is no secret that Oregon is a leader in democratic participation and innovation,” said Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins. “This report confirms that our efforts are expanding access to the ballot. We continue to set a high standard for innovative civic engagement initiatives, most recently with our pioneering Oregon Motor Voter program that launched at the beginning of the year.”

The report was based on data collected from the 2014 election cycle. Largely because of Oregon’s statewide use of vote by mail, Oregon ranked second in lowest wait times with an average of 30 seconds per voter reported from a random sampling of voters conducted immediately following the 2014 election.

“Oregon’s continued improvement in election performance is a reflection of the state’s dedication to its voters,” said Charles Stewart III, the Kenan Sahin distinguished professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Oregon continues to be a very high performer among all states,” said Alexis Schuler, who oversees election initiatives at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Oregon also performed better than average in accommodating disability or illness related voting issues and had among the lowest rates of provisional ballots cast and rejected in the country.

The EPI is intended to help policymakers, election administrators, and other citizens:

Evaluate elections based on data, not anecdote.
Compare the performance of elections across states and time.
Identify potential problem areas that need to be addressed. Measure the impact of changes in policy or practice. Highlight trends that otherwise might not be identified. Use data to demonstrate the need for resources to state and local policymakers. Educate voters about election administration.

You can access the EPI report at pewtrusts.org/epi2014 .