False Claims Circulate Online That Ballots Outnumber Registered Voters in Oregon’s Election

Oregon — Claims circulating online that Oregon counted more ballots than it has registered voters are contradicted by the Secretary of State’s election results and six months of registration reports. Altered images showing just over 1 million registered voters and over 100% of ballots for registered voters being counted have been circulating online in social media since the November 3rd election.

The state’s unofficial results page, updated November 12 at 7 a.m. Pacific, listed 1,974,266 ballots counted and 3,109,272 active registered voters. That is 63.50% turnout, with the ballot count 1,135,006 below the active voter total. Find current unofficial results at results.oregonvotes.gov.

The circulating image displays 1,947,324 ballots counted, 1,339,854 active registered voters and 145.34% turnout, with a November 10, 4:30 p.m. timestamp. Its percentage follows mathematically from those two numbers. The problem is the registered-voter figure: it does not match Oregon’s statewide registration records.

A review of the Secretary of State’s six latest monthly reports, covering June through November 2026, found statewide totals above 3 million in every month. None supports the image’s claim that Oregon had only about 1.34 million registered voters.

The image alone does not establish whether the discrepancy originated in a temporary website display, a data-feed problem or an alteration to the image. No official explanation for that specific figure was located in the records reviewed. That unanswered question does not establish that more ballots were counted than there were registered voters.

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The monthly reports provide the following breakdown:

Source: Oregon Secretary of State monthly registration reports. “All others” is calculated as total registration minus Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated registrations.

“All others” includes Independent Party registrants, other listed parties and the reports’ “Other” category. Independent Party registration is distinct from being unaffiliated. These are monthly registration snapshots, not counts of ballots cast.

Between the June and November reports, total registration increased by 29,547, approximately 0.96%. Democratic registration rose by 20,072, Republican registration increased by 6,829, unaffiliated registration declined by 1,244, and all other registrations combined increased by 3,890.

Unaffiliated voters remained the largest group in November, at 36.81% of registrations. Democrats accounted for 32.21%, Republicans 23.78%, and all others 7.20%.

The November monthly report lists 3,112,307 registrations, while the election results page lists 3,109,272 active registered voters, a difference of 3,035, from the time the report was issued and the election results page was set up.

The Secretary of State’s election FAQ explains that active-voter totals on the unofficial results website can change as county officials maintain registration records while counting ballots. Records can be deactivated or reactivated, including when ballots are returned as undeliverable and eligible voters subsequently update their information.

Party registration also does not cap the number of votes a party’s candidate can receive. The state’s FAQ explains that all registered voters can participate in the general election. Registration totals therefore should not be treated as candidate vote totals or evidence of how individual voters cast their ballots.

The results remain unofficial. The Secretary of State’s election calendar lists December 10 for state certification. The available official figures show ballots counted well below registered voters, not turnout exceeding 100%.