| Home | News | Services | Online Services | Forms | Departments | Links | Search | Contacts |
| Lane County, Oregon | eGovernment |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VOTER REGISTRATION and ELECTIONS
(Updated August 19, 2008)
Do I have to re-register for each election?
Can my registration be transferred?
Where can I find registration cards?
How will I know if the registration was accepted?
A Resident of Oregon:
A person who lives in Oregon with the intention of making Oregon their home. (A person who has come to Oregon for temporary purposes and intends to return to another state is not considered a resident for voting purposes. If applicant is uncertain about residency, contact your county elections office.) If you will be out of the country and wish to receive a ballot, see our Absentee Ballot Page.
A United States citizen:
If a person is not yet a United States citizen but will be sworn in as a U.S. citizen during the 20-day period immediately before Election Day, the person may register to vote. However, the person must contact their county elections office to obtain the procedures pertaining to this type of situation. If a person is not a U.S. citizen, there is no opportunity to register.
17 years of age or older.
Any 17 year old can register any time, but not later not later than the 21st day prior to the election they will be 18.
You may register at any time. However, your voter registration card must be postmarked no later than the 21st day before the election at which you intend to vote.(This includes someone who will turn 18 after the 21st day and by election day. They must register by the 21st day prior to the election in order to vote in that election.)
For the November 4, 2008 General Election, the voter registration deadline is October 14, 2008.
DO I HAVE TO RE-REGISTER FOR EACH ELECTION?
No. You need to update your registration information when your personal information changes. Examples include when:
Oregon laws require that you furnish your full name, residence address, date of birth, and signature. You also need to provide your political party preference.
Federal Law Requirements:
You must indicate whether you are a citizen of the United Sates of America and meet the requirements of being at least 18 years old on or before election on the top portion of the registration card.
New laws require that people must provide identifying information to register to vote.
IMPORTANT:
Failure to provide the required ID will prevent county election officials from counting Federal Contests at a Primary and General Election, including President of the United States.
DO I HAVE TO REGISTER TO A POLITICAL PARTY?
No. If you do not want to be affiliated with a political party, you may check the box that states Not a member of a party. In Oregon there is an Independent Party, which is not the same as a "not-affiliated" voter, so do not write Independent unless you associate yourself with the Independent Party.
You cannot designate or change a party affiliation after the 21st day before the primary election. (postmarks do not qualify)
The political party registration can impact qualifications to partisan offices. The election that political party registration can make a difference to what contests a voter qualifies to vote on is the Primary Election.
Major political parties (Democratic and Republican) choose who they want to run for office by having a Primary Election. The Primary Election is held every even-numbered year on the third Tuesday in May.
Voters that are registered as members of the Democrat or Republican parties will receive ballots that include all nominating candidates for their specific party only, along with all nonpartisan contests and measures.
Sometimes a major political party will open its Primary Election to voters who are not registered as a member of any political party (non-affiliated voters). If either major party decides to open their primary, non-affiliated voters will be notified by mail. If a major party decides to open their primary ballot, voters who are Non-Affiliated will be notified.
In the majority of primary elections, voters registered in minor parties and as non-affiliated voters will receive a ballot for the primary election that includes only nonpartisan contests and measures.
DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE TO REGISTER OR TO MARK YOUR BALLOT?
Assistance in Voting:
ORS 254.445 and Oregon Vote-by-Mail (pg 50):
Upon request, an elector is entitled to receive the assistance of two persons of different parties or by some other person chosen by the elector.
A person may not assist an elector if the person is:
· an employee of the elector or an agent of the employee; or
· an officer or agent of the union of which the elector is a member.
Elector must be able to convey their choices to the person(s) assisting.
Upon request from an elector, there are various locations where the elector may be provided assistance; such as the elector’s home, elections office, community service center, senior center or assisted living facility, or as agreed upon between elections staff and the elector.
What is extremely important is to call Lane County Elections as soon as possible to provide the elections office adequate time to arrange the necessary staff for such assistance. The closer to Election Day, there are more staffing conflicts due to the demands of the election.
Difficulty in Signing Ballot
If an elector has difficulty signing their ballot, either due to a temporary or permanent basis, there is the option of completing an updated Voter Registration Card and a Signature Attestation Form . This allows a signature stamp or other indicator used by the voter to represent the voter’s signature on any election document.
The signature stamp or other indicator used by the voter to represent the voter’s signature shall be the same stamp or other indictor used by the voter to represent the voter’s signature on the attestation form and the voter’s registration form.
Any changes require completion of a new attestation form and voter registration form to show the new representation of the voter’s signature.
Oregon Law does not permit a spouse, caretaker, or someone with a power of attorney to sign or vote on behalf of a voter. The voter has to be able to convey their choices to the person(s) assisting and the voter has to make their own signature mark.
Additional resources are available from www.oregonliteracy.org or www.oradvocacy.org .
MAY I TRANSFER MY REGISTRATION FROM ANOTHER STATE?
No. If you wish to vote in Oregon, you must complete an Oregon registration card by the 21st day prior to an election with the county you reside in.
MAY I TRANSFER MY REGISTRATION FROM ANOTHER OREGON COUNTY?
No. Any time you move from one county to another, you need to update your registration by completing a registration card with the new county you reside in.
WHERE CAN I FIND REGISTRATION CARDS?
HOW WILL I KNOW IF THE REGISTRATION WAS ACCEPTED?
The county elections office will mail a voter notification card to let you know that the registration was accepted. If it is not received within 30 days after the registration card was turned in, contact your county elections office.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|