PORTLAND, Ore. — Returned mail in ballots that arrive at election offices after the deadline can still be counted in Oregon, but only if they are postmarked before the 8 p.m. cut-off time on Election Day, Nov. 5.
Mail dropped in a mailbox does not get postmarked until it is picked up and processed at a post office. How long it takes for that to happen depends on when mail is picked up and the time it takes to get to a post office and processed.
To be safe, United States Postal Service recommends that ballots be placed in the mail at least a week before the due date.
"If a ballot is due on Election Day, the Postal Service recommends mailing the ballot by this Tuesday (October 29)," a USPS spokesperson said last month.
If worried, last-minute voters should seek out a drop box. All ballots returned before 8 p.m. on Election Day to an official ballot drop box will be counted, Oregon's Secretary of State's website said.
Mail dropped off at a 24-hour postal location, like a blue USPS collection box, is typically postmarked with the date it was dropped off, according to USPS' website, as long as it was dropped before the last pickup time listed.
Pick up times tend to be made within approximately 30 minutes of the posted collection times, though traffic or weather may cause delays.
To find a blue USPS collection box, enter your zip code and select "Collection Boxes" under location type. The map lists the last collection time for each box in the area.
Boxes vary in collection times, with the last collection for some boxes as early 9 a.m. and as late as 6 p.m. for others.
