Today (April 26) is the deadline to register to vote in the May 17th election. Today is also the deadline to change party affiliation ahead of the closed primaries. Voters can register or update their exiting registration online at Oregonvotes.gov until 11:59 PM on April 26.
Both the Republican and Democratic parties are holding closed primaries, which means that only party members will be able to vote in those primary contests. All voters, regardless of their party affiliation, will receive ballots with nonpartisan contests and ballot measures.
Closed primaries are a consistent source of false information and confusion in Oregon. Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and the Oregon Elections Division prioritized public education on the topic. As part of the Trusted Info 2022 campaign, the Secretary of State’s office produced a PSA on closed primaries to help voters understand the issue. Secretary Fagan and staff also produced a series of TikTok videos and Instagram Reels to demonstrate how easy it is to register or update your registration at Oregonvotes.gov, which takes less than 3 minutes. Videos include comparisons to everyday tasks like cooking eggs or knitting, spoken word performances, basketball and trivia! Plain language explanations of closed primaries were also added to the Secretary of State’s website.
