Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan has released a new Public Service Announcement to educate voters about the postmark rule. This is the second PSA the Secretary has released as part of the Trusted Info 2022 campaign. The new PSA is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Somali.

“Our best tool in the fight against false information is true information,” said Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. “We are committed to reaching Oregon voters early and often so the first thing they hear about Oregon elections is the truth.”

A new law in Oregon known as the "postmark rule" says that any ballot postmarked by Election Day is considered on time even if it arrives at elections offices up to seven days after the election. Voters may be able to put their ballots in the mail as late as Election Day if their mail is collected by USPS and postmarked that day.

The new law will mean that the total number of votes cast in the election may increase in the days following Election Day. These are not "late" votes. Every vote tallied by elections officials will have been cast on time.

The new law could mean that very close contests will not be decided on election night. According to Secretary Fagan, even if the results come in a little slower, they will be accurate.

The State Legislature passed the HB 3291 -- the postmark rule -- into law in 2021.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-05-04 12:54:55

Last Update: 2022-05-04 13:04:54