NEWS RELEASE: A helpful guide to ranked choice voting as Election Day approaches; ballots due by 8 p.m. Nov. 3.

For immediate release: Oct. 27, 2026

Media contact:
Communications Office, pressoffice@multco.us

This release may be viewed in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Ukrainian and Somali.  

NEWS RELEASE: A helpful guide to ranked choice voting as Election Day approaches; ballots due by 8 p.m. Nov. 3.

Voters who haven’t received their ballot yet should contact the Elections Office today: 503-988-VOTE (8683)

Multnomah County, Ore. (Oct. 27, 2026) — With Election Day just one week away, Multnomah County Elections has some important reminders for voters. 

First, voted ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 — or postmarked by Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, and be received by the Elections Office within seven days — to be counted.

You can return your ballot in person at any Official Ballot Drop Site before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Find a full list of locations at multco.us/dropsites. 

This year, thanks to funding from the Secretary of State’s Office and the Oregon Legislature, two new drop sites have been added in Multnomah County at the Corbett Water District Office (off the Historic Columbia River Highway) and the East Portland Moose Lodge (on Northeast Halsey Street).

If you choose to return your ballot by mail after today, Tuesday, Oct. 27, Multnomah County Elections encourages you to go to your local post office to get a manual postmark at the service counter. 

Voters should have received ballots already; if you haven’t, contact Elections TODAY

All eligible voters should have already received their ballots for the November 2026 General Election. Contact Multnomah County Elections as soon as possible if you have not yet received your ballot by mail or if you need a replacement ballot.

You can call the Elections Office at 503-988-VOTE (8683) or go online and obtain a new ballot through Elections’ convenient Order Ahead Replacement Ballot Service. Voters who use the online Order Ahead Replacement Ballot Service can either avoid or shorten an in-person visit to Elections’ two voter service sites. 

Voters using the service can:

1. Ask to have a replacement ballot mailed to their residence, or 
2. Request a replacement ballot for in-person pickup at a “will call” window. Will call service is available at both voter service sites.

The deadline to request that a replacement ballot be mailed to your home for the Nov. 3, 2026, General Election is tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. After that, replacement ballots are only available for in-person pick up at will call. 

It’s also never too late to join more than 167,000 Multnomah County voters by signing up for Elections’ “Track Your Ballot” service at multnomah.ballottrax.net. Elections will let you know when your ballot is mailed to you; when we have received your ballot; when we have verified your signature and accepted your ballot for counting. You'll even receive a virtual "I Voted" sticker that's ready to share on social media. This service is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese, Chinese and Ukrainian. 

If you sign up for this service after your ballot has been returned for the current election, you will get notifications for future elections.

New ballot layout, same basic steps

This is the first election in which Multnomah County voters join City of Portland voters in using ranked choice voting (RCV) for candidate contests. In Multnomah County, this includes contests for County Chair and District 2 Commissioner. In the City of Portland, this includes Portland City Auditor and City Councilors for Districts 3 and 4.

Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference instead of choosing only one candidate. This method allows someone’s vote to count toward another candidate if their favorite candidate will not be elected. 

Ballot packets for Multnomah County and City of Portland voters include a separate page containing their candidate contests. Those contests feature a grid-style ballot that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Voters will still fill in ovals to mark their selections, just like every other election, but now they’ll have more choices. 

Voters should pick the candidate they like most for “Rank 1,” and then can pick a candidate they like second-best for “Rank 2,” and so on. Voters can rank up to six candidates, but can still vote for only one candidate if they prefer. 

Ranked choice voting tips:

• Only rank candidates who you support being elected.
• Your vote still counts even if you rank only one candidate; ranking more than one candidate is optional.
• Ranking additional candidates will not hurt the chances of your first-choice candidate.

If voters make an error when marking their ballots, they can correct them by writing an “X” over a mistaken oval or contacting Multnomah County Elections at 503-988-VOTE (8683) to receive a replacement ballot.

This Multnomah County Elections video explains what happens if voters skip a rank or accidentally fill in more than one candidate for a rank. The County’s voter pamphlet (on page M-17) also includes tips on how to use ranked choice voting. Additionally, every ballot packet includes an informational flyer explaining how ranked choice voting works, as well as a scannable QR code to practice ranked choice voting, with a mock election before filling out your real ballot.

For more information on marking ballots and answers to other frequently asked questions about ranked choice voting, visit Multnomah County Elections’ detailed FAQ resource.

When to expect preliminary results

As usual, Multnomah County Elections will post preliminary results on Election Night, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. and provide regular updates until all the ballots are counted.

Multnomah County Elections typically processes and releases results for roughly half of all expected ballots on Election Day. That percentage typically climbs to 90% by the Thursday after Election Day. That means, just like in any election, results will become more clear as more ballots are received. 

As with other contests, we may not know the outcome of ranked choice contests on Election Night. The results may shift as more ballots are received and counted, and should not be considered final until all ballots are counted. 

Multnomah County Elections will provide timely and accurate updated results reports for ranked choice contests according to this schedule.

Every update will include complete round-by-round tabulations of all ballots to date that have been received and counted. The election will be certified Monday, Nov. 30.

Multnomah County’s rcvresults.multco.us website is the only place where ranked choice voting results for City of Portland and Multnomah County candidate contests will be available. Ranked choice voting results are presented differently than other election results. The Elections Office encourages voters and members of the media to review the results of the November 2024 ranked choice voting contests for the City of Portland for a refresher on the formats of RCV results.    

Results for all non-ranked choice voting contests can be found by visiting multco.us/elections or the Secretary of State’s website.

Extended evening and Saturday hours at both voter service locations start tomorrow

Voters can replace a lost ballot, get help voting, ask questions and vote in person at both of Multnomah County’s voter service locations:

• Duniway-Lovejoy Elections Building: 1040 S.E. Morrison St., Portland
• Voting Center Express: 600 N.E. 8th St., Gresham (located inside the Multnomah County East Building), providing a closer option for the more than 225,000 Multnomah County voters who live east of Interstate 205

Starting Wednesday, Oct. 28, Multnomah County Elections will offer extended hours, including Saturday hours, at both voter service locations:

• Wednesday, Oct. 28, through Friday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 31: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Street parking near the Southeast Portland site is limited, but voters can take TriMet bus routes 15 and 70. Free parking is available at the Gresham site, which is also near the TriMet Gresham Central Town Center MAX Station. 

Multnomah County Elections provides an interpreter, free of charge to anyone who needs help voting in a language other than English. Additional voting and elections information — available in nine languages — is at multnomahvotes.gov.

Over 30 Multnomah County Official Ballot Drop Sites to serve you

Multnomah County has over 30 Official Ballot Drop Sites available now until 8 p.m. on Election Day where you can return your ballot. Official Ballot Drop Sites include most Multnomah County Library locations. 

Ballots are picked up from library locations and Official Ballot Drop Boxes on a regular schedule. The list of Official Ballot Drop Sites, including two new Official Ballot Drop Sites this election cycle, is available at multco.us/dropsites.

Countdown to Election Day: Nov. 3, 2026

• Voting Center Express in Gresham opens: Oct. 8
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 13
• Ballots begin to be mailed to voters: Oct. 14
• All voters should have received their ballots: Oct. 22
• Last day recommended to return your ballot by mail: Oct. 27
• Extended evening and weekend hours begin: Oct. 28
• Election Day and deadline to drop off ballots or have ballots postmarked: Nov. 3
• Final election results are certified: Nov. 30

Main office:

Multnomah County Duniway-Lovejoy Elections Building

1040 S.E. Morrison St., Portland, OR 97214

Gresham location:

Open Oct. 8 - Nov. 3, 2026

Voting Center Express at the Multnomah County East Building

600 N.E. 8th St., Gresham, OR 97030

Phone: 503-988-VOTE (8683)

Email: elections@multco.us 

Website: multnomahvotes.gov

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