Record 2 million Oregon voters returned ballots
Oregon voters returned a record number of ballots in Tuesday’s general election, breaking 2 million votes, the Oregon secretary of state announced Thursday.
The 2.02 million ballots returned in the recent election beats the previous record, which was 1.84 million ballots returned for the 2008 general election.
“This has been a historic election year for many reasons, and we should celebrate that over 2 million Oregonians made their voices heard on Tuesday,” Secretary of State Jeanne P. Atkins said.
“A variety of factors can influence the level of participation in an election, but I am proud of the work of our state and county leaders to continually lower barriers to voting – most recently with the Oregon Motor Voter program, which registered 230,000 voters for this general election.”
Thursday’s ballot return figure accounts for 78.9 percent of all ballots mailed to voters who were eligible to vote in this election.
The secretary of state will provide information on the turnout of people registered through the Oregon Motor Voter program early next week.
Of the 2 million-plus ballots cast statewide, 28,322 ballots are being challenged and reviewed for issues like a missing signature or a signature that doesn’t match the registration record. Voters have 14 days after the election to resolve a challenged ballot.
“The challenged ballot process is an important part of ensuring the integrity of our vote-by-mail process. If you receive notice from your county that your ballot is being challenged, you will need to act to resolve those issues to make sure your vote is counted,” Atkins said.
