QuickTake:

Turnout in Lane County as of Oct. 27 was about the same as the state number -- about 26%.

More than 800,000 Oregon voters had returned their ballots as of Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 27 — that’s about 25% of the state’s 3.1 million registered voters, according to unofficial ballot return data from the Oregon Secretary of State’s Elections Division. 

That mirrors the situation in Lane County, where about 73,400 ballots had been received so far of nearly 285,000 active voters, about 26%. Of the ballots returned, more than 80% had been returned to a drop box, about 18% by mail and less than 2% were returned to the counter at the county elections office.

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is urging voters who have yet to cast ballots for the Nov. 3 election to drop them at one of the more than 300 drop boxes located across the state instead of putting them in the mail, where U.S. Postal Service delays could slow ballot arrivals.

Voter turnout will play a key role in several competitive races, such as the gubernatorial race between incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and her Republican challenger Christine Drazan, a state senator from Canby, and in the state’s tightest legislative races in the North Coast, the Columbia River Gorge, southern Oregon, Salem and Bend. 

Voter turnout is slightly outpacing previous years, particularly on the Democratic side, according to John Horvick, senior vice president and elections expert at Portland-based DHM Research.

About 46% of ballots cast as of Monday were cast by Democrats, while Republicans had cast about 30% of all ballots received by Monday. Nonaffiliated voters and voters registered with minor parties submitted the remaining 24% of ballots. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean this year will be a high turnout year for Democrats, Horvick said in a phone interview. 

It’s normal for Democrats to turn out earlier in elections, and it could be that Democrats are more concerned about possible mail delay warnings from state leaders, and in response turned in more ballots early. The mix of early ballots received will likely become more Republican as it gets closer to Election Day, Horvick said.

— Lookout Eugene-Springfield staff added material to this story.

Mia Maldonado began working at the Oregon Capital Chronicle in 2025 to cover the Oregon Legislature and state agencies with a focus on social services. She began her journalism career with the Capital Chronicle's sister outlet in Idaho, the Idaho Capital Sun, where she received multiple awards for her coverage of the environment and Latino affairs. She has a bachelor's degree in Spanish and international political economy from the College of Idaho. Born and raised in the West, Mia enjoys hiking, skiing and rockhounding in her free time.