Oregonians are flocking to local election offices as Tuesday’s deadline to register to vote approaches.

“We’re pretty busy,” Tim Scott, director of Multnomah County Elections, said Monday. “We have seen a steady stream of people coming into the office today to register.”

According to the latest data from the Oregon Secretary of State, just over 3 million Oregonians have registered to vote so far. Statewide, there are 1,005,275 Democrats, 730,249 Republicans and 1,108,299 unaffiliated voters, according to state data.

Between now and Election Day, Scott expects high turnout – well over 80% – in Multnomah County. He’s curious about when people will return their ballots, which would affect how many can be counted on election night.

“It’s higher when people vote early, and lower when people vote late,” Scott said.

The county elections office is also preparing for Portland’s first election using ranked voting, educating voters through events, billboards and bus packaging. He said election officials are concerned about the spread of misinformation through social media.

“We try to be very proactive in getting information out through press releases and social media so people know we are the trusted source of information,” he said. “But we also haven’t seen a huge increase this election, at least in Multnomah County.”

All told, the number of registered Republican and Democratic voters in Oregon has declined by more than 85,000 people compared to the same time in 2020, according to state data.

John Horvick, a pollster and senior vice president of DHM Research, attributes the increase in unaffiliated voters to the state’s motor voter system, which automatically registers voters as unaffiliated when they obtain a state driver’s license or identification card. He says these voters are mostly young people new to Oregon.

Gov. Tina Kotek recently ordered the state’s Driver & Motor Vehicle Services to pause automatic registration after state officials discovered more than 1,500 people were incorrectly registered to vote.

Horvick said the decline in party membership can be attributed to people dying or leaving the state, not distrust in the two major parties.

Since August, when President Joe Biden abandoned his re-election bid and Vice President Kamala Harris launched her campaign, Democrats in Oregon have gained more than 19,000 registered voters, while Republicans have added about 9,400.

“It’s not a lot of people in the context of 3 million registered voters,” he said. “But you know, if you’re looking for signals, that’s a signal. Maybe a weak one, but it’s there.”

Horvick noted that both parties typically have similar turnout in general elections, and that turnout can be especially critical in closely contested congressional elections.

“If you’re Janelle Bynum or Andrea Salinas, you’re not saying you’re happy that Joe is out, but you are happy that Joe is out and that there’s someone that Democrats are excited about because those are really competitive races. ” he said.

Oregonians have until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to register and receive a ballot in the mail. Ballots must be postmarked or returned in person by November 5 at 8 p.m.

People who have not registered in Oregon must have a state driver’s license or identification card. They can register on the Oregon Secretary of State’s website, where they can check their registration status and update their address. If the address is not current or available, the ballot will be returned and the voter will be listed as inactive.

Ballots will be mailed throughout the week. Scott is urging Oregonians not to wait to return their ballots.

“If we get their registration or their ballot back sooner, it helps us and the public at the same time,” he said. “We can process those registrations and ballots over time and get results quickly. Just don’t wait. Do it now.”

Copyright 2024 OPB.

This story comes from the Northwest News Network, a partnership between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.