Election Day draws near; C.O. ballots streaming in

One of the highest voter turnouts in recent elections is expected to come to a climax next Tuesday night. As of Thursday, 40 percent of registered voters in Deschutes County had returned their ballots, and by Election Night, that number is expected to double.

Thursday also marked the last day to safely mail in your ballot and be sure it’s counted.

“Please bring it to one of your drop sites,” Deschutes County Clerk Nancy Blankenship said Thursday afternoon. “You’ve gone through a lot of work to vote your ballot, and we want to make sure we can count it.”

Although the percentage of ballots returned so far is on par with the last presidential election in 2008, there are more ballots in the box this time around.

“The significantly different part is that we are about 8 percent more voters this time than last time,” Blankenship said.

In Jefferson County, 46 percent of registered voters have returned their ballots as of Thursday afternoon. Crook County has the highest return rate in the tri-county area, with nearly 50 percent returned.

Elections officials want to remind voters to make sure everything is correct and completed on their ballot.

“Before you put that ballot in the drop box, make sure that you have signed it,” said Blankenship. “We’ve seen a few that have come back that people have gotten in a hurry and haven’t signed their ballot.”

For more information and a link to a map to help find ballot drop-off sites near you, click here.

For Deschutes County residents, click here for an Adobe PDF list of ballot drop boxes locations and hours.