Regional Public Journalism
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
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.

Ballots: Coming Soon To A Mailbox Near You

Kevin Mooney
/
Northwest News Network
File photo of an Oregon ballot from May. Voters in Oregon and Washington should start receiving their ballots for the November election later this week.

Voters in Oregon and Washington can expect to see ballots arriving in their mailboxes starting later this week. And this year, more of those ballots than ever will go out in the mail.

More than 2.5 million people are registered to vote in this year's general election in Oregon. That's an all-time record. Interest is always higher in presidential election years. But registration numbers are getting a boost from the state's new automatic voter registration law, which signs up people to vote when they get or renew a drivers license.

Voters have until November 8 to return their ballots. And they might need that much time to figure out how they want to vote. In addition to the presidential election, there are five statewide offices up for grabs on the Oregon ballot, and seven statewide ballot measures.

Washington state has also set an all-time record for voter registrations. The Washington Secretary of State's office said more than 4.2 million people are now registered.