Lincoln County Showing A Strong Early Voter Turnout

Lincoln County Clerk Amy Southwell said election officials are seeing strong early participation, with nearly 15% of ballots already returned as of Friday October 23rd.

The main batch of ballots left a Bend mailing house on Oct. 14 and was sent to Portland for distribution. Most were officially mailed the following day, she said. Some voters may not receive a ballot, and those who need a replacement can contact the elections office.

Amy said drop boxes are the most reliable way to ensure ballots reach the county in time. She said mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, can be counted if they arrive within seven days—through Nov. 10. Ballots arriving Nov. 11 would be too late, she said.

Staffing has also been a challenge. Amy said she has had to collect ballots herself while the office waits for its usual pickup crew to come in. Despite the extra work, she welcomed the strong turnout and voters’ use of drop boxes.

The county’s drop boxes are located at Yachats City Hall, Waldport City Hall, the Lincoln County Courthouse and Newport City Hall, Toledo Police Department, Eddyville Community Church, Siletz City Hall, Depoe Bay City Hall and Lincoln City City Hall. The Lincoln City box has moved to a spot outside, in front of City Hall.

How ballots are handled and counted

When ballots arrive at the elections office, staff separate them from other materials and check that the return envelopes are signed. Ballots then go through signature verification, where the signature is checked and the receipt of the ballot is recorded.

After verification, bipartisan teams process the ballots, checking that they can be read by the counting equipment and flagging marks that may require review, such as overvotes or write-ins. The ballots are then secured before being run through a tally machine programmed for the specific election.

Amy said the machine is tested twice before the election and once afterward, typically with a representative from each party participating in the tests. The machine sorts out items such as blank ballots, overvotes, undervotes and write-ins for staff review. Amy said she does not print vote reports until election night, so she does not know the results as ballots are processed.

The county plans to release its first results at 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday November 3rd, based on ballots processed by then. Additional unofficial results are scheduled for 5 p.m. the following day, with further updates as counting continues. Amy said the unofficial final results are expected Nov. 24, and the final official report is scheduled for Nov. 30.

Ballot return deadlines

Drop boxes will be locked at 8 p.m. on Election Day and picked up the following morning, Amy said. She said law enforcement and other local officials will help monitor the boxes and keep staff safe during the process.

Amy urged voters to sign the return envelope—not the ballot itself—and to return ballots early when possible. Early returns give the elections office more time to contact voters if a signature is missing or needs attention, she said.

Voters can contact the Lincoln County elections office at 541-265-4131 or countyclerk@co.lincoln.or.us. Election information and results are posted at co.lincoln.or.us/208/elections.