In a pronounced display of civic duty, tens of thousands of ballots were cast by Multnomah County voters, marking a considerable uptick in Election Day returns. According to a news release by county officials, the latest figures show voter turnout reached 29.8%, with a tally of over 170,000 ballots for the primary election on Tuesday, May 21 —a number that's expected to increase as the counting continues.
Notably, Election Day saw approximately 70,000 ballots received, with half making their way to ballot drop sites post 6 p.m. The substantial turnout also reflects the impact of a state law passed in 2021, enabling voters to mail their ballots on Election Day as long as they are postmarked by the end of the day and arrive within seven days to be counted. This law has evidently encouraged to voters to send their ballots last-minute, with the Elections Division reporting an additional 23,600 mail-in ballots postmarked on or before Election Day.
These measures have necessitated an extension in the period allowed for county elections offices to certify elections; from 20 to 27 days, pushing the certification deadline for this cycle to June 17. It means that for races that are tightly contested, patience will be requisite as results might not be as prompt as in years past.
Vote by Mail has stood as a pillar of the county's election process for over two decades, promising accuracy, security, and convenience. Each ballot carries a unique identifier to ensure a single count per voter, while security is reinforced by offline ballot-counting systems and a paper trail that spans the casting, counting, and certification of votes. Furthermore, a "Track Your Ballot" service is offered, with nearly a quarter of eligible voters subscribing to follow their ballots' journey, according to the county's statement.
To cement the integrity of the electoral process, the county also performs post-election audits by matching machine vote counts against those tallied by hand, a practice that invites public observation to maintain transparency and trust in the outcome. As the ballots continue to roll in, Multnomah County sustains its commitment to a voting system that is both user-friendly and ironclad in its security measures.
