COLUMBIA COUNTY, Updated Friday, Oct. 30, with the state’s 8:13 a.m. report.
Columbia County voters are running within a point of the rest of the state. As of Friday morning, the county had returned 14,553 ballots, 34.1 percent of its 42,679 active voters, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s ballot returns report generated at 8:13 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Statewide, 34.9 percent were in.
That is a different picture from Tuesday, when the county stood at 16.9 percent and only Morrow County was lower. The county now ranks 30th of 36 counties, just ahead of Washington County at 34.0 percent. Multnomah County is last at 27.4 percent, Morrow County is at 30.7 percent, and neighboring Clatsop County is at 38.0 percent.
The state report counts ballots that county elections offices have received and reported. It does not include ballots still in the mail or in drop boxes. The Tribune will update this story each weekday through Election Day.
Why the County Looked Behind
Earlier in the week the county sat at or near the bottom of the state’s list. The report does not say why, and the possibilities below still apply to the gap that remains.
- Reporting lag. Counties send their counts to the state on their own schedules. Columbia County’s column in the state report shows nothing for Oct. 16 or Oct. 19, then 935 ballots on Oct. 20, and its single largest day, 2,082, on Monday, Oct. 26. Monday’s batch alone moved the county off the bottom of the list, and the state later nearly doubled its count for that day. That pattern is consistent with ballots piling up and being logged in bunches, though the report does not say so.
- A short-staffed elections office. The county clerk’s office, which runs elections, is one of the departments under 15 unpaid furlough days this fiscal year, ordered by the Board of Commissioners in Order 17-2026 to close a $2.75 million general fund shortfall. Employees can take 10 of those days whenever they choose. The elections division’s web page carries a notice in bold: “Due to Columbia County’s mandate of 15 unpaid furlough days, response time to phone calls and emails will be delayed.”
- Slow mail. The Secretary of State’s August test found mail delivery times varied across the state, especially in rural counties, as the Tribune reported last week. A ballot mailed in Rainier or Vernonia may take longer to reach the courthouse than one dropped in a box.
- Voters waiting. Some people hold their ballots until the last days. In 2022, the last midterm, Columbia County ended at 66.8 percent turnout, 27,769 ballots from 41,556 registered voters, according to the county’s participation report. That was within a tenth of a point of the statewide figure. In 2024 the county finished at 74.7 percent, per its certified abstract, against 75.4 percent statewide.
In other words, the county has not finished far behind the state in recent general elections. Where it lands this year will not be clear until the final count.
Returns by Day
| Date | Ballots received | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| Tue., Oct. 20 | 935 | 935 |
| Wed., Oct. 21 | 806 | 1,741 |
| Thu., Oct. 22 | 1,890 | 3,631 |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | 1,494 | 5,125 |
| Mon., Oct. 26 | 4,961 | 10,086 |
| Tue., Oct. 27 | 1,689 | 11,775 |
| Wed., Oct. 28 | 1,770 | 13,545 |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | 1,008 | 14,553 |
The county reported no returns to the state for Oct. 16 or Oct. 19, the report’s first two columns. Ballots went in the mail Oct. 14. The state has revised earlier days as counties catch up on logging: Tuesday’s report showed 2,082 ballots for Monday, Oct. 26, and Thursday’s showed 4,961 for the same day. Friday’s report raised Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 1,407 to 1,770.
Who Has Voted
The report breaks returns down by the party each voter is registered with. It says nothing about how anyone voted. Republicans and Democrats remain nearly even: 5,220 returned ballots from registered Republicans and 5,171 from Democrats. Nonaffiliated voters, who make up the largest group in most Oregon counties, have returned 3,085. The Independent Party accounts for 808, and smaller parties for the rest.
| Registration | Ballots returned | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Republican | 5,220 | 35.9% |
| Democrat | 5,171 | 35.5% |
| Nonaffiliated | 3,085 | 21.2% |
| Independent | 808 | 5.6% |
| All others | 269 | 1.8% |
How This Compares
Statewide, the 2022 midterm ended at 66.9 percent turnout and the 2024 presidential election at 75.4 percent, according to the Secretary of State’s turnout history. Most ballots arrive in the final week.
Still Holding Your Ballot?
- Tuesday, Oct. 27, is the last day the Secretary of State recommends returning a ballot by mail.
- After that, use any official drop box in Oregon by 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Columbia County has six.
- Track your ballot at oregonvotes.gov/track.
- Everyone on the county ballot is in the Tribune ballot guide.