Have you voted? There are races and measures to vote for on the ballot, even for those not registered with one of Oregon’s political parties. Ranging from decisions on who will chair the Washington County board of commissioners to who will head the state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries, registered voters can exercise their right to cast a vote up to 8 p.m. tonight.
If you are near a post office that is still collecting mail for the day, your vote will still count if postmarked today by 8 p.m. Otherwise, ballot drop sites are located throughout the county, and a full list can be found online.
Locally, voters can drop their signed ballots off at a box located in front of the Banks Public Library main entrance (42461 NW Market Street), in front of the Forest Grove City Library (2114 Pacific Avenue), and in front of North Plains City Hall (31360 NW Commercial Street).
After 8 p.m., initial results will be posted online at results.oregonvotes.gov.
The outcome of close races may not be immediately clear, thanks to a new Oregon law that allows postmarked ballots up to seven days after an election, if they are postmarked by 8 p.m. today.
“The new law will mean that the total number of votes cast in the election will increase in the days following Election Day. These are not “late” votes. Every vote tallied by elections officials will have been cast on time,” a press release from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office read.
“The new law could mean that very close contests will not be decided on election night. Even if the results come in a little slower, they will be accurate,” the press release noted.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
