Elections

Washington County Elections is responsible for conducting all Federal, State and local elections in Washington County, Oregon.

 

Number of Elections: 

There are two regularly scheduled statewide elections in every even-numbered year-the Primary Election in May and the General Election in November.

There are 4 regularly scheduled elections at the local level each year. A jurisdiction may or may not need to hold an election on those dates.

The legislature may choose to call a special election at any time.

 

In 1998 Oregon voters passed a ballot measure to allow all elections in the state to be conducted by mail. Elections in Oregon and therefore in Washington County are conducted by mail.  Registered voters are mailed a ballot and they must return the ballot on or before election day.  This method of vote-by-mail was first approved in 1987.