Oregon ballot returns top 50 percent on Election Eve

More than half of Oregonians eligible to vote in the Tuesday general election have already cast their ballot, according to the latest ballot return data released Monday by the Oregon secretary of state.

In total, 1.29 million voters have submitted their ballots, accounting for 50.3 percent of total eligible voters.

“I am pleased to see that voters all over the state are turning out to participate in this historic election,” Secretary of State Jeanne P. Atkins said. “I am confident that we will end up with another record-breaking election, in terms of the number of ballots cast.”

By comparison, 1.2 million, or 55 percent, of Oregon voters had cast their ballot at this point in the 2008 general election, and 1.1 million, or 50.6 percent, of Oregon voters had cast their ballot at this point in the 2012 general election.

The tri-county area saw a significant spike over the weekend, with Multnomah County reporting a surge of 58,147 ballots cast.

Grant and Wheeler counties each report the highest proportion of voters who have already cast their ballot, at 62.7 percent and 62 percent, respectively.

Atkins reminded voters who haven’t yet dropped off their ballot that they should make a plan to make sure to get them in by 8 p.m. Election Day. Official drop site locations are available at oregonvotes.gov/dropbox. The application requires a registered voter’s address to bring up results.

The postal service is no longer a safe route to return ballots, Atkins said, due to the risk that they may not reach their destination in time.

“Please make a plan to make sure you know when and where you are going to vote,” Atkins said. “And if you’ve already voted, ask a friend or a family member how they plan to get their ballot in by 8 p.m. tomorrow. We want to hear every possible voice this election.”