Oregonians must register by Tuesday, Oct. 13, to vote in the Nov. 3 general election, Secretary of State Tobias Read said, urging voters to get ready and return their ballots early. To register, a person must be a U.S. citizen, an Oregon resident and at least 16 years old. Ballots are issued to voters once they turn 18. Voters can check their registration and find election information at OregonVotes.gov. People already registered in Oregon can update their registration through 8 p.m. on Election Day and still vote. But voters who make a late change may need to pick up their ballot at their county elections office. Those temporarily living elsewhere — including students in campus housing — can change their mailing address so their ballot is sent to them. Voters in all 36 counties can now sign up for email, text or phone alerts when their ballot is mailed, received and counted. Until recently, that service was available in only five counties. Read recommends returning ballots as soon as voters are ready. Voters should follow the ballot instructions and sign the return envelope. Oregon has 244 ballot drop boxes, 20 more than it had for the May primary; the state elections website has a locator. Read said ballots placed in drop boxes go directly to election offices. Voters who mail their ballots should send them by Oct. 27, a week before Election Day, Read said, to allow time for delivery and a timely postmark. The secretary of state’s office reported that 7,314 ballots were rejected for late postmarks in the May 2026 primary, 35% more than in the May 2022 primary. Read also pushed back against misinformation about fraud in mail voting and pointed to Oregon’s safeguards, including paper ballots, voting equipment that is not connected to the internet, signature checks, public equipment testing and post-election audits. Voters whose envelope signatures do not match their registration records have 21 days after Election Day to resolve the issue. Read said the election includes important issues and encouraged voters to review the voters’ pamphlet before ballots arrive. Those who miss Tuesday’s registration deadline should register anyway to be prepared for a future election.