We know many of you are eagerly awaiting the results of Tuesday’s election.
Whether you’re a keen political observer or just someone hoping to check the mail without being bombarded by campaign ads, our team at Salem Reporter is committed to getting you accurate information, and being clear about what we know.
Here’s what you can expect from us on Election Night.
Because Oregon is a vote-by-mail state, it’s not unusual for thousands of ballots that arrived just before the deadline to go uncounted on Election Night.
That’s doubly true this year. It’s the first general election since Oregon law changed, allowing ballots to be counted so long as they’re postmarked by Election Day. Previously, ballots had to be received by the county elections office by Election Day to count – and that included by mail. Ballots can arrive up to a week after Election Day, by Nov. 15, and still be valid.
So, that’s one reason not all votes will be counted by Tuesday night’s “closing” of 8 p.m.
And ballots dropped in drop boxes just before the 8 p.m. cutoff often aren’t counted until the next day. Election clerks must forward ballots that arrive at the wrong county office – a common occurrence in Salem when, say, a west Salem resident who votes in Polk County drops their ballot in the Marion County dropbox.
That means, especially in close races, it may not be clear who won on Election Night – or for days after. Sometimes, results can be so tight that the winner is determined by whether voters fix signature issues on their ballots for them to count, a process that takes several weeks to resolve.
Election results are never final until they are certified by election officials. Counties have until Dec. 5, and the statewide certification deadline is Dec. 15.
That said, our team will post first results when they come in shortly after 8 p.m. for both local and statewide races. Typically, Marion County posts an updated ballot count around 10 or 11 p.m., while Polk County won’t have a second tally until the day after the election.
We’ll have discrete stories on several important contests and measures on the ballot, including a roundup of Salem-area legislative races and the major infrastructure bond on the ballot for city voters. We’ll also be posting coverage from our colleagues at the Oregon Capital Chronicle on statewide races, including the governor’s contest.
In our coverage, we’ll be clear about where vote tallies stand and explain how many ballots remain to be counted where we know. Our team won’t call races or speculate about the outcome of close contests. And we’ll check back in with county election offices throughout the week to bring you updated vote counts and results for any contests where the outcome isn’t clear on Election Night.
We know trust in elections is important, and our goal is always to bring you accurate information with as much context as we can. If you have any questions about our process or the vote tabulation, reach out to us with an email to [email protected] and we’ll do our best to get you straight answers.
Rachel Alexander is managing editor of Salem Reporter. Email her at [email protected].
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
