Oregon Urges Early Returns, DOJ Plans Monitors

Oregon election officials are urging voters to return ballots early, recommending that mailed ballots be sent by Oct. 27 to avoid postal delays; ballots must meet the state’s Election Day receipt or postmark deadline. Voters can use official drop boxes, track ballots online and contact Multnomah County Elections if a ballot has not arrived or needs replacement. Multnomah County officials report strong early returns, with about 7% of ballots returned at the time of the report. The Justice Department also plans to send monitors to some Oregon counties, including Portland, to observe voting and report potential federal-law violations; local election officials say monitors must follow the same rules as other observers.