It’s hard to believe the May 2022 Primary Election is already upon us.
Ballots will be mailed to voters on April 27, one day after the deadline to register to vote and select a party. And this year, a few new (and, we might add, very cool) items in the ballot package might grab your attention.
First, the traditional 4.5-by-10.5-inch ballot packet envelope has changed to a larger, 6-by-9-inch ballot packet, similar to those used in Washington State’s Vote-By-Mail Elections. Voters will see a new brightly colored outer ballot envelope with a purple stripe on the left side. Inside that outer envelope, you’ll also find a new Official Ballot Return Envelope with a brightly colored blue strip on the left side. On the opposite side of the Official Ballot Return Envelope, you’ll find the normal signature line, along with information on ways to return your ballot.
The ballot packet is larger overall, with larger print, images and information provided on Election services. The new style is accessible while also providing the same secure ballot you always get.
You’ll also notice the ballot packet will no longer contain an optional secrecy sleeve. That’s because it doesn’t need one. Instead a privacy weave has been embedded directly into your Official Ballot Return Envelope. When your ballot is placed into the envelope, the privacy weave prevents anyone from seeing how you voted.
Even when your ballot is returned to the Elections Division for processing — the privacy of your ballot will remain intact, with procedures designed to ensure your information on the ballot envelope is never matched up to how you voted. Watch this three-minute video to learn how this process works.
Eliminating the secrecy sleeve helps streamline the work to prepare ballot packets. It will also speed up ballot extraction and vote tabulations and, best-of-all, help reduce costs.
All voters in Oregon will receive a ballot three weeks before the May 17, 2022 Primary Election. Voters can return their ballot at an Official Ballot Drop Site or by mail. And remember this year, postmarks count thanks to House Bill 3291, also known as the “postmarks” bill. So, ballots that are in the mail and postmarked by the United States Postal Service (USPS) on Election Day will be counted.
Multnomah County’s Elections Division goes to great lengths to ensure security, accessibility, transparency and integrity for every election.
You can find more information on the May 17, 2022 Primary Election at: MultnomahVotes.gov.
