Oregon — As of the first statewide daily ballot return report generated May 12 for Oregon’s May 19, 2026 special election, 356,963 ballots had been returned statewide, representing roughly 11.5% of Oregon’s 3.1 million registered voters.
Democrats led in total ballots returned with 143,941, while Republicans followed with 123,279. Nonaffiliated voters accounted for 63,424 ballots, making them the third-largest voting bloc in early returns and a potentially significant factor in local and special district contests. Independents returned 20,986 ballots.
That means Democrats held about a 20,662 ballot advantage over Republicans in the initial report, though Republicans remained highly competitive in turnout and led in many rural counties.
Statewide ballot returns by major affiliation (as of May 12):
- Democrat: 143,941
- Republican: 123,279
- Nonaffiliated: 63,424
- Independent: 20,986
Regional patterns showed familiar divides:
- Multnomah County posted 49,386 ballots returned, with turnout at 8.51% of registered voters.
- Washington County reported 43,942 ballots returned.
- Clackamas County had 35,983 ballots returned.
- Deschutes County reported 23,868 ballots.
In conservative eastern counties, Republicans often outpaced Democrats substantially. For example:
- Baker County: 953 Republican ballots vs. 304 Democratic ballots
- Crook County: 1,752 Republican ballots vs. 589 Democratic ballots
In Democratic strongholds:
- Benton County: 4,124 Democratic ballots vs. 1,948 Republican ballots
- Multnomah County’s urban-heavy turnout also leaned strongly Democratic.
Because Oregon’s vote-by-mail system often sees significant ballot surges closer to Election Day, these numbers are only an early snapshot and not predictive of final turnout or outcomes. The Oregon Secretary of State notes the data is unofficial and intended for transparency only, with returns changing daily as ballots are received and processed.
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