New data released on the May 2026 primary indicates more ballots rejected due to late postmarks

Today, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read held a press conference with Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to discuss their work protecting Oregon’s safe, accurate, and fair vote-by-mail elections and the ongoing battle over the federal government’s illegal actions.

A recording of the press conference can be found here.

“There is a lot of uncertainty right now. There are a lot of people trying to make voting harder or more confusing. But Oregon is not going to sit back and hope for the best. We are going to prepare. We are going to adapt. And we are going to protect every eligible Oregonian’s right to vote,” Secretary Read said.

“Vote-by-mail is what Oregonians have come to know and rely on, and that's why protecting our elections isn't about one political party or another,” Governor Kotek said. “We are all better off when everyone can participate in our elections without disruption, confusion, or threat. We stand united in that belief.”

“Oregon set the gold standard for vote by mail decades ago, proving that when you make voting safe, accessible, and convenient, democracy thrives,” Senator Wyden said. “Oregonians will not stand by while radical federal overreach and postal disruptions threaten to strip away our fundamental right to make our voices heard. As the first U.S. Senator to be elected entirely by mail-in voting, I’ll keep fighting in Washington to stand by mail-in voting because we know it works and has been fraud free for decades. I’ll ensure every valid vote in Oregon is counted no matter what hurdles are thrown in our way.”

“In a republic, the voters choose their leaders. But Trump is striving to flip that concept and allow one leader, himself, to choose the voters. We must do everything we can to stop his effort to rig the November election, and that includes a fierce defense of our secure, accessible, high-integrity vote-by-mail system,” Senator Merkley said.

Earlier today, Secretary Read released the official turnout and participation statistics for the May 2026 primary election, which includes new statistics and data visualizations to improve transparency in Oregon’s elections.

The data shows that more ballots were rejected in this year’s primary due to late postmarks than in other recent primary elections.

7,314 ballots received during the 7-day post-election grace period in the May 2026 primary were rejected for having a late postmark. This represents an increase of 35% compared to 5,404 ballots rejected for late postmarks in May 2022, the last midterm primary.

Put in terms of rates of rejection for ballots received in the 7-day grace period, 13.1% were rejected for having a late postmark in 2026. In the 2024 primary, that rate was 9.5%, and in 2022, it was 8.2%.

That means more Oregonians had their voices go unheard this year just because their ballots didn’t make it through the mail on time.

In response, Secretary Read is continuing to urge Oregon voters to return their ballot using one of the 324 secure, official drop boxes located across the state.

To make this option more convenient for more Oregonians, Secretary Read made emergency request to the Oregon Legislature for funds to pay for 20 additional drop boxes and to cover the costs associated with increased drop box usage. He also requested funding for an opt-in statewide ballot tracking tool that can provide Oregonians with more information about the status of their ballot so they can act quickly if there are any disruptions.

Secretary Read will advocate for those requests to the Joint Interim Subcommittee on Human Services Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.