What to expect in Oregon’s primaries, from ballot rules to key races

Oregon’s Tuesday primary will decide nominations for state and federal offices and will also test voters on a statewide measure that would raise gas taxes and vehicle fees to fund transportation improvements. Democrats choose among Gov. Tina Kotek and multiple challengers, and Republicans choose among a larger field in a contest that is taking place amid a wider political backdrop, according to the Associated Press. The AP also said the campaign for Kotek’s second term has made President Donald Trump a central contrast point.

Because Oregon elections are conducted predominantly by mail, election-night expectations may differ from states that vote primarily in person. The Associated Press said ballots delivered to a ballot drop box or a county elections office must be received by 8 p.m. local time—10 p.m. ET in areas using Pacific time deadlines that convert to 11 p.m. ET, and 10 p.m. ET in Mountain time areas—while mailed ballots must be postmarked by 8 p.m. local time and received by May 26 to be counted. The AP noted that counties have the option to keep their locations open longer.

The state’s primary system also limits who can vote in each contest. The Associated Press said voters must be registered with a political party to participate in that party’s primary, meaning Democrats cannot vote in the Republican primary and Republicans cannot vote in the Democratic primary. It also said independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either party’s primary.

The Associated Press provided a snapshot of the voter rolls and past primary turnout. As of May 4, Oregon had about 3.1 million registered voters, including about 988,000 registered Democrats and about 737,000 registered Republicans. The AP said registered Democrats cast between 420,000 and 456,000 votes in the 2024 primaries, depending on the contest, and registered Republicans cast just shy of 300,000. It also said turnout was higher in the 2022 midterm primaries, when Democrats cast between 478,000 and 492,000 votes and Republicans cast between 347,000 and 370,000.

In terms of how much voting has already occurred, the Associated Press said that as of Friday, nearly 513,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election. The AP said the state’s vote-by-mail approach means results from mail voting are released throughout the night and over the following days, and it added that a handful of smaller counties may release all or most of their results from Election Day voting in their first vote report.

The Associated Press also described what it will watch as votes come in and how it decides when to declare winners. It said it will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, state Senate and state House, as well as for Measure 120 and the nonpartisan race for state labor commissioner. The AP said it does not make projections and will declare a winner only when there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap, while continuing to report newsworthy developments such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory if a race has not yet been called.

Oregon’s structure also affects when final results might become clear. The Associated Press said that in the 2024 presidential and state primary, it first reported results at 11 p.m. ET as final polls closed, and that the last vote update that night was at 5:11 a.m. ET with about 74% of total votes counted. The AP said that in recount situations Oregon conducts automatic recounts in the event of a tie vote or when the vote margin is 0.2% of the total vote or less, and that the AP may still declare a winner if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Beyond election rules and reporting timelines, the AP said Oregon’s primaries include high-profile contests such as the gubernatorial race and incumbents seeking renomination for U.S. Senate and all six U.S. House seats, with one member of Congress facing no opposition for renomination. The Associated Press also said that Kotek is seeking a second term against nine Democratic primary challengers, while the Republican primary field includes 14 candidates, including Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell, state Rep. Ed Diehl, state Sen. Christine Drazan, and financial planner and former NBA player Chris Dudley. The AP noted that Dudley last ran for governor in 2010, when he received about 48% of the vote in the general election.

The counties highlighted by the Associated Press as key to both parties’ primaries include Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties in the Portland area and Lane County, home to Eugene, along with Salem-based Marion County, Jackson County and Deschutes County. The AP also said Dudley won the 2010 primary for governor with 39% of the vote against eight candidates, carrying Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties and placing second in Lane County.

For voters and candidates, the AP’s “decision notes” framing also places the primary in a broader midterm context. The Associated Press said national politics cast a long shadow over the primary in a midterm election year when voters historically have punished the incumbent president’s party, and it said Kotek’s campaign has made Trump a top foil while Measure 120’s gas-tax and vehicle-fee vote is taking place as gas prices have climbed since the start of the Iran war.

Finally, the Associated Press said that as of Tuesday there will be 168 days until the 2026 midterm elections, underscoring that the primary results are a near-term step in a longer campaign cycle.