Oregon Revised Statutes
As used in this chapter: “County clerk” means the county clerk or the county official in charge of elections. “Elector” means an individual qualified to vote under Article II, section 2, Oregon Constitution. “Registration card” means: A state voter registration card approved by the Secretary of State under ORS 247.171; A federal voter registration appli…
Each elector has the right to vote in any election in which the elector: Is qualified to vote; Has registered to vote in a manner authorized by law; and Casts a ballot in a manner authorized by law. It is the policy of this state that all election laws and procedures shall be established and construed to assist the elector in the exercise of the right of…
REGISTRATION
Unless specifically provided otherwise, a person may vote in an election of a political subdivision of this state only if the person is an elector registered in the political subdivision.
A qualified person may register to vote or update a registration to vote by: Delivering by mail, having a person deliver or otherwise delivering a completed registration card to any county clerk, the Secretary of State, any office of the Department of Transportation or any designated voter registration agency as described in ORS 247.208; Personally deliver…
A qualified person shall be considered registered to vote in a county when the person’s first registration in the county occurs as described in ORS 247.012. An elector who changes residence address from the county in which the elector is registered to a different county within the state, in order to vote in an election, must be an elector registered in the …
In implementing ORS 247.012, 247.017, 247.018 and 247.171, the Department of Transportation and the Oregon Health Authority shall take steps reasonably necessary to allow transfer of voter registration information by electronic or magnetic medium. Note: The amendments to 247.014 by section 6, chapter 492, Oregon Laws 2023, become operative June 1, 2026. See…
A qualified person absent from the state may register by mailing to the county clerk for the county in which the person resides a completed registration card or a signed statement containing the information required on a registration card. On written request from a qualified person who by physical incapacity cannot register in the office of the county clerk…
Subject to this section, an otherwise qualified person who is at least 16 years of age may register to vote. A person who registers to vote under subsection (1) of this section may not vote in an election until the person attains the age of 18 years. If a person who registers to vote under subsection (1) of this section will be under 18 years of age on the…
The Secretary of State shall by rule establish a schedule by which the Department of Transportation shall provide to the secretary electronic records containing the legal name, age, residence and citizenship information for, and the electronic signature of, each person who meets qualifications identified by the secretary by rule. Upon receiving the electron…
Subject to compliance with all applicable federal laws and regulations, the Secretary of State shall by rule establish a schedule by which the Oregon Health Authority shall provide to the secretary electronic records, derived from information provided to the Oregon Health Plan, containing the legal name, age, residence and citizenship information for, and, i…
The Secretary of State by rule shall adopt an electronic voter registration system to be used by qualified persons who have a valid: Oregon driver license, as defined in ORS 801.245; Oregon driver permit, as defined in ORS 801.250; State identification card, issued under ORS 807.400; or Social Security number. The electronic voter registration system sh…
To vote in an election: A person’s registration card must be received at an office or location described in ORS 247.012 not later than the time the office or location closes for business on the 21st day immediately preceding the election, but in no case later than midnight of the 21st day immediately preceding the election; A person’s registration card mus…
An elections official, in determining the residence and qualifications of a person offering to register or vote, shall consider the following rules, so far as they may be applicable: The person’s residence shall be the place in which habitation is fixed and to which, when the person is absent, the person intends to return. If a person’s property is split b…
A qualified person who is homeless or resides in a shelter, park, motor home, marina or other identifiable location may not be denied the opportunity to register to vote. For purposes of this chapter: The residence address of a person who is homeless or resides in a shelter, park, motor home, marina or other identifiable location may be any place within th…
A person may not alter any information supplied on a registration card except: An elections officer in the performance of official duties. The person who supplies the information on the registration card for the purpose of registering to vote. A county clerk may not register a person who alters any information printed on a registration card regarding: Th…
Except as provided in this subsection, the Secretary of State shall design, prepare and distribute state voter registration cards. The Secretary of State shall also distribute federal registration cards. Any person may apply in writing to the Secretary of State for permission to print, copy or otherwise prepare and distribute the registration cards designed …
The qualifications of any person who requests to be registered or to update a registration shall be determined in the first instance by the county clerk or official designated by the county clerk to register persons as electors from the evidence present. The county clerk or official designated by the county clerk to register persons as electors may reject a…
During the period extending from the 250th day before the primary election to the date of the primary election and the period extending from the day after the primary election to the 250th day before the next primary election: Any person may request delivery from the Secretary of State of not more than an aggregate total of 500 registration cards prepared u…
Any person may distribute a registration card in any reasonable manner that facilitates elector registration, including but not limited to distribution of the card door to door. The card shall be available at any field office of the Department of Transportation where applications for driver licenses or vehicle registrations are accepted and at any office of …
The county clerk shall prepare and issue by nonforwardable mail to each elector a voter notification card of convenient size containing the name and residence address of the elector, the name or number of the precinct in which the elector resides and a brief statement of the circumstances under which the elector is required to register or update a registrati…
When changes in the boundaries of a precinct are made, the county clerk may alter the registration card of an elector to conform with the change, and may issue by nonforwardable mail a written notice of the change and a new voter notification card to the elector. This requirement does not apply to a change of precincts for special district or special electio…
The county clerk, at any time, may inquire into the validity of the registration of any elector. The county clerk shall mail a written statement to the elector that describes the nature of the inquiry and provides a suitable form for reply. Not later than the 20th day after the date of mailing of the statement, the elector, in writing, may state that the in…
An elector who updates a registration during the period extending from the 20th day before a primary election to the date of the primary election may not, during that period: Change the elector’s political party affiliation if the elector’s immediate past registration record shows the elector was or is registered as affiliated with a political party. Termi…
The Secretary of State by rule, in accordance with the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-31), shall designate agencies as voter registration agencies. Agencies designated may include state, county, city or district offices and federal and nongovernmental offices with the agreement of the federal or nongovernmental offices.…
UPDATING REGISTRATION
Notwithstanding any other provision of ORS chapters 246 to 260, the registration of an elector may not be considered inactive due to an elector not voting or updating the elector’s registration for any period of time. The registration of an elector shall be considered active if the only reason for the registration of an elector being considered inactive is …
The county clerk shall mail a notice to each elector: Whose registration is inactive as of the 75th day before the date of a primary election or general election; Whose registration is considered inactive due to a nonmatching signature under ORS 254.431 or a name change under ORS 254.411; and For whom the county clerk has a valid and current mailing addre…
An elector shall update a registration if: The residence address of the elector is changed for any reason within the county in which the elector is registered, except as provided in subsection (3) of this section; The elector desires to change or adopt a political party affiliation; The mailing address of the elector is changed, except as provided in subs…
A county clerk shall update the registration of an elector in the county upon receiving evidence from: The elector indicating a residence or mailing address that is different from the residence or mailing address for the elector as contained in the records of the county clerk; The United States Postal Service indicating a residence address that is differen…
The Secretary of State shall subscribe to a change of address service that is approved or endorsed by the United States Postal Service and use the service to verify the accuracy of the addresses of electors contained in the centralized voter registration system. If the secretary determines that the address of an elector is different from the address for the…
The county clerk shall use records of the United States Postal Service relating to ballots issued by mail to verify the accuracy of addresses of electors contained in the registration file of the county clerk. Based on information obtained under subsection (1) of this section, the county clerk shall automatically update the registration of an elector under …
If there are fewer than 22 days between the date of an election and the registration deadline for the next succeeding election, the county clerk may update registrations as required under ORS 247.292 after the next succeeding election.
The effective date of a voter registration updated under ORS 247.292 is the date on which the county clerk receives evidence of the change of residence or mailing address. The effective date of a voter registration updated under ORS 247.296 is the date on which the county clerk changes the address information on the voter registration file.
Notwithstanding ORS 247.025, an elector whose registration is active or inactive may update the registration at any time before 8 p.m. on the day of the election.
Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, if the county clerk receives information updating the registration of an elector after the deadline in ORS 247.025: The county clerk shall issue a ballot to the elector if the elector’s registration was inactive prior to updating; or The county clerk shall issue a replacement ballot upon request from th…
ELIGIBILITY IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
A person who is qualified to register, except that the person will have resided in this state less than 20 days before the election, may vote in the election for candidates for nomination or election for President or Vice President of the United States or elector of President and Vice President of the United States if the person: Did not vote for the nomina…
A county clerk shall give a ballot marked “Federal only” to any person eligible under ORS 247.410 who personally appears in the office of the county clerk, completes a registration card and verifies eligibility to vote under ORS 247.410. No person shall supply any information under subsection (1) of this section, knowing it to be false.
REMOVAL OF NAMES FROM REGISTER OF ELECTORS
A county clerk may cancel the registration of an elector: At the request of the elector; Upon the death of the elector; If the county clerk receives written evidence that the elector has registered to vote in another state; or If the elector has not responded to a notice described in ORS 247.563 and has not voted or updated a registration during the peri…
Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section and ORS 247.555, whenever it appears to the county clerk that an elector needs to update the elector’s registration or that the elector has changed residence address to another county, the county clerk shall mail a notice to the elector. The notice shall be sent by forwardable mail and shall include a pos…
Not later than five business days after receiving a report of death as authorized by the State Registrar of the Center for Health Statistics under ORS 432.133, a county registrar designated under ORS 432.035 shall furnish to the county clerk of that county the name, age, date of birth and residence address of the person for whom the registrar has received th…
Copies of all notices and other correspondence issued under ORS 247.195, 247.292, 247.296, 247.563 and 247.570 shall be retained by the county clerk for two years. If the elector registration records of a county are mechanically maintained, the county clerk may satisfy the requirements of subsection (1) of this section by maintaining for two years: Compute…
LISTS OF ELECTORS
A major political party qualified under ORS 248.006 or a minor political party qualified under ORS 248.008 may request from the Secretary of State a statewide list of electors, as described in ORS 247.945 (4). The list may not contain any information about participants in the Address Confidentiality Program established under ORS 192.820 to 192.868 or any inf…
The county clerk, upon request before the 45th day before a primary, general or special election, shall deliver to any person a list of electors. The list may not contain any information about participants in the Address Confidentiality Program established under ORS 192.820 to 192.868 or any information that may not be publicly disclosed under ORS 247.948. T…
Except as set forth in ORS 247.965 or 247.967, or as otherwise prohibited by law, the following information about an elector contained within an elector’s registration file is subject to inspection as a public record under ORS 192.311 to 192.478 and shall be included in lists delivered under ORS 247.940 and 247.945: The major political party or minor politi…
Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, no person to whom a list of electors is made available or supplied under ORS 247.940 or 247.945 shall use any information in the list for commercial purposes. A person shall not be considered to use for commercial purposes any information contained in a list of electors made available or supplied under O…
Any elector may request the county clerk to keep the residence address of the elector and any family member residing with the elector exempt from disclosure as a public record under ORS 192.311 to 192.478. The county clerk shall keep the residence address of an elector and any family member residing with the elector exempt from disclosure as a public record…
Notwithstanding any provision of ORS 192.311 to 192.478: Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the county clerk may disclose the residence address of an elector and any family member residing with the elector exempt from public disclosure under ORS 247.965 if the county clerk receives a court order or a request from any law enforcement agenc…
The Secretary of State by rule shall define when the “personal safety” of an elector and the safety of any family member residing with the elector is in danger under ORS 247.965. Under the definitions, the elector’s personal safety or the safety of any family member residing with the elector shall be considered in danger if the elector provides evidence that…
Subject to subsection (2) of this section, an individual’s signature submitted under this chapter for purposes of registering to vote is subject to inspection as a public record under ORS 192.311 to 192.478. The signature may be inspected in the Office of the Secretary of State or the office of the county clerk. A person may not make a copy of or provide to…
_______________