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VIDEO: From drop box to sorting machine, how your mail-in ballot is processed

Dan Brummer, elections support specialist, adds ballots to a sorting machine on Thursday, October 23. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

SALEM BALLOT BOX LOCATIONS

NOTE: Do not mail your ballot at this point. U.S. Postal Service officials warn it likely wouldn’t be delivered in time. Instead, deposit your ballot envelope in one of the secure ballot drop boxes around the county.

All ballot boxes will be accessible until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Regular hours for other days listed below.

 MARION COUNTY (Full list here):

Marion County Clerk, 555 Court St. N.E., Ste 2130 -8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays

Marion County Health, 3180 Center St. N.E. – Curbside (24 hours)

Roth’s Fresh Market, 3045 Commercial St. S.E. -6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

Roth’s Fresh Market, 4555 Liberty Rd. S. – 6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

Roth’s Fresh Market, 4746 Portland Rd. N.E. – 6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

Marion County Public Works, 5155 Silverton Rd. N.E. – 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily

POLK COUNTY (Full list here):

Roth’s Fresh Markets, 1130 Wallace Rd. N.W. – 6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

TOP 5 VOTING MISTAKES TO AVOID

1. Fill out both sides of your ballot. You don’t have to vote in every race, but make sure you’re not overlooking the back of the ballot – or returning a blank ballot.

2. Don’t forget to sign your ballot envelope on the marked line. 

3. Double-check you’re signing your envelope, not a spouse’s or roommate’s.

4. Don’t return your ballot late. After Oct. 27, ballots should not be mailed. Use a drop box.

5. Don’t ignore mail from the county clerk’s office. If you get a letter or postcard after the election, it’s likely because there was a problem with your signature which you can fix.

TRACK YOUR BALLOT: See when it’s received, processed

MyVote for all Oregon voters

BallotTrax for Marion County voters (requires registration with a phone number or email address)

VOTING QUESTIONS

Marion County clerk – (503) 588-5041

Polk County clerk – (503) 623-9217

ELECTION REPORTS: The voting process

Election workers begin processing local ballots as Oregon voter turnout soars

About half of eligible Marion and Polk county voters returned ballots already. This week, election workers can start opening envelopes and scanning ballots in preparation for Election Day – Nov. 3.

Here’s what happens to your ballot after you drop it in an Oregon drop box

Ballots can take up to a week to reach a clerk’s office by mail, so election workers advise using a drop box starting Oct. 28 to ensure your vote is counted. So many voters are turning ballots in early that Marion County is now emptying many drop boxes twice per day.

VOTE 2020: Ballots go out this week for Oregon voters. Here’s how to make sure yours gets counted.

Signature mismatches and late ballot returns cost about 2,500 Marion and Polk county voters a say in Oregon’s 2018 election for governor. We asked elections clerks what you need to know for 2020.

VOTE 2020: Across the political spectrum, Oregon elections officials say mail delays won’t affect the election

Marion and Polk county clerks say they’re getting more questions ahead of this election as a record number of voters across the U.S. plan to vote by mail. But in Oregon, it’s business as usual.

VOTE 2020: Al Davidson helped pioneer mail-in voting. But other states’ plans to vote by mail this election worry him 

While vote-by-mail is now popular in Oregon, Davidson said it took years to implement and to convince the public to embrace a practice that faced initial skepticism. Other states don’t have the same time. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Whether angry or hopeful, your ballot speaks for you. We’re here to help

EDITOR’S NOTE: Signs are that voter interest in the 2020 election is intense, judging by huge turnout in other states during early voting. Salem Reporter is doing what it can to help you understand how Oregon elections function and what’s being done to guard against fraud.

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