National Voter Registration Day reminds Oregonians to get election ready

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — November’s Election Day is quickly approaching and if you aren’t registered to vote, time is running out.

Tuesday, Sept. 16 is National Voter Registration Day, an important time to register or check to make sure that your information is correct before ballots ship out in mid-October.

This year’s election features local contests including Portland Mayor, City Council and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, statewide races for Secretary of State, Attorney General and State Treasurer, and federal contests including the President of the United States and House Representatives.

How to register to vote

Voters can register online with a valid Oregon driver’s license or ID card. If you don’t have a valid ID, you can register by filling out a paper voter registration card.

Paper registration cards can be found at U.S. Post Offices, Multnomah County Libraries and the Multnomah County Duniway-Lovejoy Elections Building.

How to check your registration

Oregon voter registration can be checked online on the official voting website and you can also sign up for alerts when your ballot is mailed.

The voter registration deadline is Oct. 15 and ballots are expected to be mailed out the next day on Oct. 16. Contact your elections office if you don’t have your ballot by Oct. 24. Your ballot must be postmarked or dropped into a drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 5.

In Washington, deadlines are different: Ballots go out Oct. 18 and voting centers will be open. Online and mail registrations must be received by Oct. 28 — eight days before Election Day.

However, in Washington you can register — or update your registration — in person right up to and on Election Day. Ballots still must be received or in a drop box by 8 p.m.

When will I get my voter’s pamphlet?

In Multnomah County, you should get your voters pamphlets about a week before the registration deadline, so look for them during the first week of October. However, Tim Scott with the Multnomah County Elections Office said voters can expect two pamphlets this year.

“Due to the number of candidates that have filed in Multnomah County, and the size of the state pamphlet, those will be delivered separately, so I want voters to know to be looking out for the Multnomah County pamphlet and the state pamphlet as separate books delivered separately,” Scott said.

Local ballots in Portland are also expected to look different this year with the city using ranked choice voting for the first time.

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