Good morning.
There are only hours left to vote in the 2022 general election and thousands of Malheur County ballots so far are going unused.
This is Election Day, and it’s still possible to cast your ballot.
CURRENT BALLOT COUNT:
According to the state Elections Division, the county’s election participation is lagging that of the state as a whole. As of Monday, Nov. 7, 35 percent of Malheur County’s 17,636 ballots had been turned in. Statewide, participation stands at 36%.
Malheur County lags its neighboring counties, where return rates are higher – 49.6 percent in Grant County, 44.6 percent in Harney County and 41.4 percent in Baker County.
Here’s the breakdown of voting so far by major party registration in Malheur County:
Republicans – 56% (3,506 votes out of 6,297 registered)
Democrats – 41% (963 votes out of 2,352 registered)
Nonaffiliated – 17% (1,260 out of 8,131 registered)
HOW TO VOTE TODAY:
The surest way is to use ballot drop boxes, and you have until 8 p.m. to do so.
The ballot drop boxes:
•Malheur County Courthouse, Vale.
•Ontario Community Library, 388 S.W. 2nd Ave.
•Nyssa City Library, 319 Main St.
•Jordan Valley, across from U.S. Post Office
You can also deliver your ballot to a postal carrier or post offices, but the U.S. Postal Service cautions that may still not result in an Election Day postmark.
Questions about your ballot or how to vote? Contact the Malheur County Clerk’s Office at (541) 473-5151.
HOW TO GET ELECTION RESULTS:
The Enterprise news team is prepared to bring you election counts beginning shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday.
We will report the vote counts for local elections and also provide you results from state races through our partners at Oregon Capital Chronicle. That will include the closely-watched race for governor and the race for U.S. House seats that are expected to be close.
You can also watch for results directly on the website of the Malheur County Clerk’s Office.
Note that the final tally in the election will be days away. Ballots arriving by mail that are postmarked by Election Day but delivered after will still be counted.
In close races, those additional ballots could determine the winner.
If you have any questions about the election process or results, shoot me a note at [email protected].
–Les Zaitz, editor and publisher, Malheur Enterprise