QuickTake:

About 11% of registered voters in Lane County had returned ballots as of Monday, with voters set to decide local measures, judicial races and multiple city council races in the May 19 primary election.

Lane County election officials on Monday, May 11, urged registered voters who want to mail their ballots to do so as soon as possible ahead of the May 19 primary election. 

Returned ballots must be mailed with a valid postmark by May 19, or dropped off at any official drop box by 8 p.m. on May 19. Ballots can also be returned during normal business hours at the Lane County Elections Office, located at 275 W. 10th Ave. in Eugene.

However, Lane County Clerk Tommy Gong, the United States Postal Service and the Oregon Secretary of State advise voters wanting to mail their ballot to do so no later than Tuesday, May 12. According to county election officials, not all ballots with a later postmark may be counted because ballots must be received by May 26 at the Lane County Elections Office in Eugene.

As of late Monday, Lane County Elections reports that 11% of 285,000 people registered to vote in the county have voted in the May primary election. In the May 2024 primary election, the voter turnout was 36%.

The May 19 ballot includes federal, state and local contests. Registered Democratic and Republican voters in Lane County will select party nominees for the U.S. Senate and Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, along with candidates in the gubernatorial primaries.

In addition, all Lane County voters will weigh Measure 20-373, proposing watershed protections, and Measure 20-380, which would provide funding for 4-H and Oregon State University Extension programs in the county. 

The ballot also includes the countywide judicial district races and the Lane County sheriff’s race. Additional city and district races and measures will also appear depending on where voters live, including multiple city council races in Eugene and Springfield, a local option tax increase in the South Lane County Fire District, the Eugene Library levy and a levy renewal in the Fern Ridge Library District.