Oregon Ballot Returns Reach 47.5% as Kotek and Drazan Meet Again for Governor
November 3 was Election Day in Oregon. Ballots had to be placed in an official drop box by 8 p.m. or carry an Election Day postmark; the Secretary of State urged voters to use drop boxes because the recommended mailing date of October 27 had passed. Non-official figures from the Secretary of State's elections division showed that by 4:50 p.m. on November 2, 1,481,943 of the state's 3,117,439 registered voters had returned ballots, a 47.54% return rate, with Democratic voters at 40.8%, Republicans at 30.6% and the rest independents and minor-party registrants. Returns were climbing but trailed the 2024 pace, when 56.5% had been returned by the Monday before Election Day; by the previous Friday the 2026 rate was near 38%. Wallowa County led the state at 62.8%. The top race was for governor: Democratic incumbent Tina Kotek sought a second term against Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan and Pacific Green candidate Brett Smith, a rematch of 2022 that polls showed to be very close. Oregon has not elected a Republican governor since Vic Atiyeh in 1982. Unofficial results were to be posted after 8 p.m. on November 3 and updated regularly, with final results effective only after audit and certification.
(Source: Statesman Journal)
Source: Statesman Journal
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：俄勒冈州议会大厦。Wikimedia Commons，公共领域。 / Photo: The Oregon State Capitol. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
