Yes. Please see the Oregon Secretary of State’s website on Accessible Voting for more information.

Yes. You do not have to vote in alignment with your party. You can vote for any option on your ballot, and if the choice you want isn’t there, you can write them in.

Yes. In Oregon, ballots are mailed to the majority of voters between 14 and 20 days before an election. After you have received your ballot, you are welcome to come to the election office to vote. Privacy booths are set up in the hallway, for each election, for this purpose.

Coos County Elections

250 N Baxter St

Coquille, OR 97423

• No. Please sign your return envelope however you normally sign your name. If the election office is unable to match the signature to one in your voter registration, you will be contacted by mail and will have up to 21 days after the election to resolve the issue.
• If you are concerned that your signature has changed over time, submit a new physical voter registration card so that we have a new signature on file. Voter registration cards can be found at your local post office, library, city hall and the courthouse in Coquille.

• Making Selections
  • Fill in the oval by your choice with a black or blue ink pen.
  • Voting all contests is not required.
• Optional Write-in
  • To add a candidate, fill in the oval and print the name clearly.
  • For a write-in to count, it must be a name.
• Check for Errors
  • If you make an error, draw a line through the entire choice you do not want, and fill in the oval next to the choice you do want.
  • If you vote for more options than are allowed, your vote will not count for that candidate or measure.

• Oregon was the first state, in the United States of America, to conduct all of its elections using vote-by-mail, beginning in 1999. In 1998 voters passed a ballot measure expanding the existing vote-by-mail structure to include primary and general elections.
• With Oregon’s vote-by-mail system, your ballot is mailed to you. All eligible registered voters are mailed a ballot between 20 and 14 days before an election. Voters then have until election day to vote and return their ballot. There are no polling places. Voters may return their ballot by mail, at the office of an Oregon county clerk, or at any official drop-site in Oregon.

#DidYouKnow Oregon's county clerks perform post-election reviews after every election that includes a federal or statewide contest.

• To check if you’re registered to vote, see the FAQ “Am I registered to vote?”, see the Voter Registration page.
  • Please note, you must be registered to vote at least 21 days before an election in order to receive a ballot for that election.
• To learn more about what might be on your ballot, see the FAQ “What’s going to be on my ballot?”
• To learn more about how to fill out your ballot, see the FAQ “How do I fill out my ballot?”
• To learn more about returning your ballot, see the FAQ “How do I return my ballot?”

• Place only your ballot inside the return identification envelope and seal it.
• Sign your return identification envelope however you normally sign your name.
• Make a plan to turn in your ballot.
• Voters can return their ballot in one of the following ways:
  • By mail. Postage is pre-paid, as of January 2020.
    • If mailing, your ballot must have been received and postmarked by the United States Postal Service (USPS) no later than election day and received in the election office no later than seven days after the election.
      • Please note, only ballots mailed through USPS can be accepted after election day
      • If you are mailing your ballot close to election day, this office recommends you take your ballot into a post office and ask to have the date hand-stamped.
  • By utilizing an official ballot drop-site. These are all 24-hour outside locations.
    • If using an official drop-site location, your ballot must be deposited no later than 8:00pm on election day.
  • By coming to the election office. The election office is open Monday-Friday from 9:00am – Noon & 1:00pm – 4:00pm, except election days, when the office is open from 7:00am – 8:00pm.
    • If coming into an Oregon county election office, your ballot must be deposited no later than 8:00pm on election day.

• Oregon has closed primaries. This means that only registered voters of a major political party can vote for candidates of the same party. At the primary election, voters who are not registered in one of the major political parties would receive a ballot containing nonpartisan contests, such as judicial elections, which all registered voters may vote on.
• At the general election, voters will receive a ballot containing both partisan and nonpartisan offices and can vote for any candidate even if they are not of the same party.
• It is fairly common for people, even in the same household, to receive different ballots during a primary election, because they are registered with different political parties.
• If you still have questions, please give us, in the election office, a call at (541) 396-7610.

• It is extremely common for a voter to receive more than one ballot packet. If you look at the return envelope, one likely says “original” while another says “reissued” or “replacement.” Additionally, there should be a notice inside of all “reissued” and “replacement” ballot packets, explaining why an additional ballot packet was sent.
• Ballots are originally prepared more than a month ahead of an election. For every voter that makes an address change after that, a new “reissued” ballot is prepared. When this happens, the first “original” ballot is de-activated. If the original ballot is voted, an alarm goes up in our system, alerting staff that the ballot is not active.
• If a voter returns the wrong ballot packet, the election office will hold it until after the last day to receive ballots. As long the voter didn’t return more than the one ballot, it can still be accepted.
• If a voter returns multiple ballots, only one ballot can be accepted. All other returned ballots are rejected, the voter is sent a letter explaining that voting multiple time is an election law violation, and the instance is referred to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Elections Division.
• In no circumstances is more than one ballot accepted for a single voter.
• Please remember, it is against Oregon law to vote more than once during an election.
• If you are ever confused about getting more than one ballot, or don’t know which ballot packet you’re supposed to vote, contact your county election office.
  • Email:                    elections@co.coos.or.us
  • Phone:                  (541) 396-7610
  • In Person:             250 N Baxter St, Coquille, OR 97423

• If your ballot was lost or damaged, you can be issued a replacement ballot by contacting your county election office.
  • Email:                    elections@co.coos.or.us
  • Phone:                  (541) 396-7610
  • In Person:             250 N Baxter St, Coquille, OR 97423
• If you made a mistake when filling out your ballot, you can correct it. Please see the FAQ “What if I made a mistake on my ballot?”

If you are going to be away from your home during an election, you can apply for an absentee ballot to be mailed to where you will be. You can find the absentee ballot request form on the Forms page of the Coos County website. Ballots are never forwarded by the post office. If a ballot cannot be delivered, it is returned to the local election office.

• The election office will mail you a notice and explain how you can correct the issue. Voters have up to 21 days after an election to resolve ballot challenges such as the signature on a return envelope not matching those in their voter registration.
• If you are concerned that your signature has changed over time, submit a new physical voter registration card so that we have a new signature on file. Voter registration cards can be found at your local post office, library, city hall and the courthouse in Coquille.

Adjudication takes place after ballots have been scanned through our tabulation machines. Images of the ballot are captured and can be looked at on a computer. Two full-time staff, of different political parties, review these images to make sure that votes were tallied as the voter intended. 

If you’re interested in seeing a more detailed explanation along with examples of adjudication or if you’re interested in learning how you can observe this process, please see the Observation page of the Coos County website.

• To see what local measures and candidates have filed, check out the current Election’s specific page. To see statewide candidates and measures, check out the Oregon Secretary of State’s Elections Division website.
• Coos County does not produce a voters’ pamphlet. The Oregon Secretary of State produces a voters’ pamphlet for primary and general elections, that is sent one per household, regardless of voter registration, approximately 20 days before the election.
  • A digital version of the state voters’ pamphlet is available on the Oregon Secretary of State’s website approximately 20 days before the election.
  • It is the candidates’ choice, whether or not they want, to appear in the state voters’ pamphlet for a fee.

Please note, only those contests that you are eligible to vote on will appear on your ballot. For example, if you are not registered within city limits, you will not see city contests such as mayor on your ballot. During primary elections, if you are not registered with a major political party, you will not see that’s party’s candidate nominations on your ballot. If you have questions, please contact your county election office.

• Email:                    elections@co.coos.or.us
• Phone:                  (541) 396-7610
• In Person:             250 N Baxter St, Coquille, OR 97423

Please refer to the Drop-Site Locations page of the Coos County website for the addresses of our drop-sites as well as links to directions and photos of the boxes.

• Coos County does not produce a voters’ pamphlet. The Oregon Secretary of State produces a voters’ pamphlet for primary and general elections.
• Information regarding candidates and measures appearing on the ballot are posted on the election-specific page of the Coos County website. For more information, voters are encouraged to reach out to candidates and districts submitting measures directly.

Every election, the Oregon Secretary of State’s Elections Division completes a random ordering of the letters of the alphabet. This random alphabet is then used to order candidates within a contest. This is done pursuant to ORS 254.155. The random alphabet is generated no later than the 69th day before each election, and provided to the County Clerks no later than the 68th day before each election.

• Oregon has closed primaries. This means that only registered voters of a major political party can vote for candidates of the same party. At the primary election, voters who are not registered in one of the major political parties would receive a ballot containing nonpartisan contests, such as judicial elections, which all registered voters may vote on.
• At the general election, voters will receive a ballot containing both partisan and nonpartisan offices and can vote for any candidate even if they are not of the same party.
• It is fairly common for people, even in the same household, to receive different ballots during a primary election because they are registered with different political parties.
• If you still have questions, please give us, in the election office, a call at (541) 396-7610.

An absentee ballot may be applied for at any time, however please allow enough time for your ballot to be delivered to you by mail, voted, and returned in time to be counted.

If you are serving in the Armed Forces, the Merchant Marines, or live outside of the United States, you must fill out a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).  For more information, please visit the Federal Voting Assistance Programs’ website.

• You are not required to vote. Your voter registration will not be inactivated if you choose not to vote, regardless of the length of time.
• To check on your registration go to the Oregon Secretary of State’s My Vote website. You may also contact your county election office.
  • My Vote is unavailable for confidential voters and those under 18 years of age.

• Coos County does not produce a voters’ pamphlet. The Oregon Secretary of State produces a voters’ pamphlet for primary and general elections.
• When the Oregon Secretary of State produces a voters’ pamphlet, they are sent out one per household, regardless of voter registration approximately 20 days before the election.
  • A digital version of the state voters’ pamphlet is available on the Oregon Secretary of State’s website approximately 20 days before the election.
  • It is the candidates’ choice, whether or not they want, to appear in the state voters’ pamphlet for a fee.
• Information regarding candidates and measures appearing on the ballot are posted on the election-specific page of the Coos County website, with state and federal candidate information appearing on the Oregon Secretary of State’s website. For more information, voters are encouraged to reach out to candidates and districts submitting measures directly.

• In Coos County, ballots are mailed 20 days before an election. If your ballot does not arrive by the 13th day before an election, please contact your county election office.
  • Email:                    elections@co.coos.or.us
  • Phone:                  (541) 396-7610
  • In Person:             250 N Baxter St, Coquille, OR 97423
• To check if you’re registered to vote, see the FAQ “Am I registered to vote?” see the Voter Registration page.
  • Please note, you must be registered to vote at least 21 days before an election in order to receive a ballot for that election.

#DidYouKnow Oregonians have safely and securely voted by mail since 1998? Voters passed a ballot measure that year expanding Vote-By-Mail to primary and general elections.

• If a ballot was delivered to the wrong address, or if the person does not live there, do not open it. Write “Not at this address” on the outside of the envelope and put it back in the mail. The ballot will be returned to the election office where the voters’ record will be updated accordingly.

#DidYouKnow Elections officials regularly update voter registration lists. State, local and national information sharing allows Oregon to maintain accurate data for elections. The Oregon Elections Division regularly updates voter registration lists to remove people who are no longer eligible to vote or who are deceased.

• If a ballot was delivered to a deceased individual, do not open it. Write “Deceased” on the outside of the envelope and put it back in the mail. The ballot will be returned to the election office where the voters’ record will be updated accordingly.

#DidYouKnow If a person tries to cast a ballot for a deceased voter, they could face felony charges. It is a felony offense to vote for someone else.

• If you filled in an oval you didn’t intend, or you changed your mind, it can be corrected. The important thing is to make your choice obvious, so election officials can ensure it is counted correctly.
• This office recommends you draw a line through the entire choice you do not want, and then fill in the oval next to the choice that you do want.
• If you still have questions, feel free to contact us.
  • Email:                    elections@co.coos.or.us
  • Phone:                  (541) 396-7610
  • In Person:             250 N Baxter St, Coquille, OR 97423

No. You do not have to vote on everything. If you leave a contest blank, it is considered an under-vote. The contests where you did make a selection will still be counted.

The election office will mail you a notice and explain how you can correct the issue. Voters have up to 21 days after an election to resolve ballot challenges such as forgetting to sign the return envelope.

No. A ballot has been cast, and cannot be withdrawn or changed, as soon as it is deposited in the mail, at a drop-site or at the counter of an election office.

No. Each voter has the choice of mailing their ballot, returning it to any Oregon county election office in person or utilizing any official drop-site location in Oregon. 

• Ensure your return envelope is signed, the same way you normally sign your name, and make a plan to return your ballot.
• If using an official drop-site location, or coming into an Oregon county election office, your ballot must be deposited no later than 8:00pm on election day.
• If mailing, your ballot must have been received and postmarked by the United States Postal Service (USPS) no later than election day and be received in the election office no later than seven days after the election.
  • Please note, only ballots mailed through USPS can be accepted after election day

If there are 6 days or less before an election, please consider utilizing one of our official drop-site locations.

You can check on the status of your ballot by going to OregonVotes.gov/MyVote. This website will say when ballots are mailed, and when they have been received by the election office. Please give 1 – 2 business days for changes to be reflected on My Vote.

• My Vote is unavailable for confidential voters

No. The ballot counting process ensures the privacy of each vote. If you are interested in learning more about the process, please consider observing an election.

Yes. Whether or not someone cast a ballot during an election is public record.

Yes. The list of people who signed a completed petition is public record.