Today, Oregon votes
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OREGON – Today is Election Day in Oregon. The polls close at 8 p.m. For the first time, ballots that are postmarked May 17th will be included in the count. Umatilla County Election Manager Kim Lindell said that 13.76 percent of the voters had responded by Monday, with at least 1,000 more ballots that had not been tallied at that time.
Those who want to mail their ballots in today are being advised to walk into the post office and ask that it be hand entered. There are also plenty of drop boxes, which will be emptied and locked at 8 p.m., which make voting even easier.
In Umatilla County there are drop boxes in the rear parking lot of the courthouse at 216 Southeast Fourth St.; at the Stafford Hansell Governance Center, Southeast Columbia Drive, Hermiston; and the Nixyaawii Governance Center on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. There are also drop boxes located at city halls in Athena, Echo, Milton-Freewater, Pilot Rock, Stanfield, and Umatilla.
Morrow County drop boxes are the county annex in Boardman; the county planning department in Irrigon; Spring Street before the turn to Third Street in Ione; the public works parking lot on Highway 74 in Lexington; and in Heppner at the clerk’s office or the Bartholomew Building parking lot.
Due to the new law governing postmarked ballots, it may be awhile before official results are known especially in close races. Lindell said that a new ballot count is scheduled eight days after today’s election.
