You're sitting there, maybe checking the mail for a package or just clearin' out the junk, and you realize an election is coming up. In Oregon, we don’t do the whole "stand in line at a high school gym" thing. We’re the pioneers of vote-by-mail. But because it’s all handled through the USPS, the timing is everything. If you’re asking when does Oregon mail ballots, you're probably trying to figure out if you've been skipped or if you're just being impatient.
Honestly, the schedule is a lot more rigid than people think. It’s not just one big drop at the post office. It’s a staggered roll-out that depends entirely on where you live and what your "status" is in the system.
The 2026 Primary: Mark April 29th on Your Calendar
For the 2026 Primary Election, which happens on May 19th, the big day for most of us is Wednesday, April 29, 2026. That’s the official date when county clerks across the state start dropping the bulk of the local ballots into the mail.
If you are a standard resident living in a place like Portland, Eugene, or Bend, you shouldn't expect to see that envelope on the 29th. It’s the day they start moving. Most people see them hit their physical mailboxes between Friday, May 1st and the following Monday.
But wait. There’s a "window" here. State law basically says ballots go out between 14 and 18 days before the election. For the 2026 Primary, that puts us right in that late April sweet spot. If your mailbox is empty by May 8th, that’s when you should start making phone calls to your county elections office.
Why Some People Get Theirs Early
It feels a little unfair when your neighbor gets theirs first, but there's a method to the madness. Oregon handles out-of-state and military voters differently because, well, the mail takes longer to cross oceans or state lines.
- Military and Overseas Voters: These are the first out the door. For the May primary, these are mailed by April 3, 2026. That 45-day head start is required by federal law to make sure a soldier in Germany or a student in Tokyo actually has time to get the paper and send it back.
- Out-of-State Oregonians: If you’re an Oregon resident but you’re currently living in Idaho for school or down in Arizona for the winter, your ballot gets mailed on April 20, 2026.
- The Rest of Us: Again, that's April 29, 2026.
The General Election: The November 2026 Timeline
When the big show rolls around in November, the dates shift. The General Election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
For this one, the ballots are mailed starting October 14, 2026.
If you’re keeping track of the early birds for November:
- Military/Overseas ballots go out September 18th.
- Out-of-state ballots go out October 5th.
- Most local Oregonians see theirs mailed on October 14th.
Basically, if you haven't seen your ballot by October 23rd, something is probably wrong with your registration. You’ve got to stay on top of it because the post office is strictly forbidden from forwarding these envelopes. If you moved and didn't tell the DMV or the Elections office, your ballot is sitting in a "return to sender" pile, not heading to your new apartment.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Deadline
Since 2021, the rules in Oregon changed in a way that honestly saved a lot of people's votes. It used to be that your ballot had to be in the hands of the elections office by 8:00 PM on Election Night. If you mailed it on Monday and it didn't arrive until Wednesday, you were out of luck.
Now? We have a "postmark rule."
As long as your envelope is postmarked by 8:00 PM on Election Day, it counts. The county clerks will wait up to seven days after the election to receive and count those ballots.
But here is the catch: "Postmarked" means it actually got stamped. If you drop your ballot in a blue USPS box at 7:45 PM on Tuesday, but the mail carrier already did their last pickup at 4:00 PM, your ballot isn't getting postmarked until Wednesday. And just like that, your vote is trash.
If it’s actually Election Day, don't trust the mail. Use a drop box. They are everywhere—libraries, county buildings, even some grocery stores. Those are emptied by official election workers, and as long as you're in line at the box by 8:00 PM, you're good.
What to Do if Your Ballot Never Shows Up
Sometimes the system glitches. Or maybe a dog ate it. Or maybe it got buried under a pile of IKEA catalogs.
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If it's been more than ten days since the mailing date and your mailbox is still empty, call your County Clerk. You can find their number on the Oregon Secretary of State website. They will "cancel" the barcode on the missing ballot and mail you a fresh one.
You can also just walk into your county elections office in person. They can print you a replacement right there on the spot. It’s actually a pretty cool process to see—very low-tech, very transparent.
Actionable Steps for Oregon Voters
Don't wait until the week of the election to realize you aren't on the list.
- Check your registration by April 28, 2026 for the Primary. This is the absolute deadline to register or change your party (remember, Oregon has closed primaries, so you need to be a registered Democrat or Republican to vote in those specific races).
- Sign up for "My Vote" tracking. The Secretary of State has a tool that sends you a text or email when your ballot is mailed and—more importantly—when they’ve received and verified your signature.
- Update your address. If you've moved since the last time you voted, do it now. The USPS will not forward your ballot to your new house.
- Sign the envelope. It sounds stupidly obvious, but thousands of ballots are challenged every year because people forget to sign the back of the return envelope. If you forget, the county will mail you a letter asking you to "cure" it, but it's a giant headache you don't want.
Oregon’s system is incredibly convenient, but it requires you to be a little bit proactive about your mailbox. Now that you know the dates, you can stop hovering over the mail slot—at least until late April.