We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon's cannot be contained within a single story or point of view. History of Vote By Mail in Oregon prior to becoming the first Vote By Mail only state. Campaign Finance reporting for State and Local offices is done through. The Oregon Senate Election of 2008 was held on November 4, 2008. Oregon Secretary of State www.OregonVotes.gov. George Williams, U.S. Primary elections are held in May, of even-numbered years, to select candidates for the general election. This hood worn by a KKK member in the 1920s is on display in OHS’s permanent exhibit, “Experience Oregon.”, Abigail Scott Duniway (center) stands outside a Precinct 10 voting tent in 1912, the first year women could exercise the right to vote in Oregon. The National Women's Suffrage Association recognized Duniway as a leading women's advocate in the American West in 1886. 1987 - VBM made permanent; majority of counties use it for local/special elections. This means that all registered voters receive their ballots via postal delivery and can vote from their homes. Sign up to receive our newsletter! In 1965, after decades of community organizing and lobbying of those in power, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act (VRA), significantly curbing states’ ability to suppress voters. Oregon's experience shows that mail-in voting can be safe and secure, providing accurate and reliable results the public can be confident in. Copyright © 2002-2020. No paid signature gatherers were used to put the measure on the ballot – a first since 1994, and on November 3, 1998 Oregon voters decide to expand VBM to primary and general elections by a vote of 757,204 to 334,021. Sundays: If you don't find what you are looking for, File a Statement / Argument in the Voters' Pamphlet, Oregon Election Historical Results and Data, Manuals, Forms, Tutorials and Election Laws, The Making of Good Citizens: Rights and Responsibilities, ​Political Party Roles and Responsibilities, Taking It ​Grassroots: Initiative - Referendum - Referral, Identifying Reliable​ Resources: Strategies to Analyze an Issue, Search Initiatives, Referendums and Referrals, Skip to the search for the Oregon Secretary of State website, Download Voters' Pamphlets by County in PDF​, View In January 2020, Oregon set up a system where voters don't need to buy postage for the ballot envelope. In any state, when a voter receives the ballot, they must mark it, making their selections for candidates and their choices on referenda or other ballot questions. © Copyright 2015 - 2020 Oregon Historical Society, A banner with the slogan, “We Demand an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Infranchising Women,” adorns a car carrying Margaret Fay Whittemore (left) and Mary Gertrude Fendall (right) during a September 23, 1916, woman suffrage campaign in Pendleton, Oregon. If the signatures don't match, the voter is notified by mail, and given the opportunity to correct or explain the discrepancy. Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama won 56.7% of Oregon's vote in 2008, soundly defeating Republican candidate John McCain. Resident citizens of Oregon can register to vote with or without a political party. In the same year that the federal government enacted the Indian Citizenship Act, Oregon voters overwhelmingly passed new restrictions on voting in the form of an English literacy requirement. Then the voter can mail the ballot back to their local election office - in some places, postage is already paid, but in others voters need to put one or more stamps on it. Alternately, the voter can take the second envelope with its contents to one of several drop-off boxes set up around each community in the state. The measure passed on November 3, 1998, by a margin of 69.4% to 30.6%. Noon – 5pm Oregon joined the union in February 1859 after being carved out of the Oregon Territory. The system met with fairly widespread success and was made permanent for the majority of counties for local/special elections in 1987.