(Astoria, OR) — Nearly 45 percent, or approximately 14,000 registered voters in Clatsop County are at risk of not receiving a primary ballot with the names of Democratic and Republican candidates for offices, including for president.
All Clatsop County registered voters will begin receiving ballots for the May 21 closed primary in the mail in early May. Only voters who have chosen a political party will see the names of that party’s candidates on the ballot.
The good news is that voters can easily update their party identification by visiting www.OregonVotes.gov and selecting a party by Tuesday, April 30. Voters also can mail a voter registration card to the Clatsop County Clerk’s office that is postmarked by April 30. All changes to party affiliation must be complete by April 30.
“Ensuring all eligible Oregonians are given the opportunity to vote for the candidates of their choice is a responsibility that election officials take seriously,” said Clatsop County Clerk Tracie Krevanko.
“Voters can easily update their party affiliation, as well as their mailing address, online at www.OregonVotes.gov . I encourage all Clatsop County registered voters wishing to update their party affiliation to do so sooner rather than later,” she said.
The State of Oregon makes registering to vote simple. Every citizen who gets an Oregon driver’s license is automatically registered to vote. In Clatsop County, that means 94 percent of all eligible voters are registered. This far outpaces the national rate with 69% of voting-age Americans registered in 2022.
In order to vote for a political party’s candidates in Oregon’s closed primary process, registered voters must declare a political party before the primary in even-numbered years.
If voters have been receiving primary ballots with their preferred party’s candidates in the past, no action is needed. However, if voters have not been receiving ballots with specific party’s candidates, they must update their affiliation by April 30 ahead of this year’s primary.
For more information on voting in Clatsop County, visit ClatsopCounty.gov.