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Dispatches from public radio's correspondent at the Oregon Legislature. This is a venue for political and policy coverage of the state government in Salem and its impact on the people of Oregon.

Oregon Primary Shifts Into Next Phase

Chris Lehman
/
Northwest News Network
Ballots for most Oregon voters should be mailed out starting April 27.

The Oregon primary is still more than a month away, but ballots are already going out in the mail to some voters. And starting Tuesday, campaigns will have to report finance transactions on a timelier basis.

The deadline to vote in Oregon is May 17. But thousands of ballots are already in the mail for voters temporarily living abroad or those serving in the military. Ballots for everybody else get mailed starting April 27.

Another sign of the primary getting closer is that campaigns will soon have to report spending and contributions within a week of when the transaction occurs. That's meant to make it harder for candidates to hide information about big donors or advertising blitzes until after the election.

And yet another sign that campaign season is upon us: actual signs, of course. That's prompted the Oregon Department of Transportation to issue its regular warning against placing political signs on the highway right of way. ODOT said it has the right to remove illegally posted signs without notice.