Oregon records the highest midterm primary voter turnout in state history

Today, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read certified the results of the 2026 May statewide election.

In total, more than 1.28 million eligible Oregonians voted, the most in a midterm primary election in state history. The official turnout rate was 41.87%, the second highest for a midterm primary since 1998, when Oregon became an exclusively vote-by-mail state.

“Voting is one of the most meaningful acts a citizen can take to participate in our democracy. Voting is how we hold politicians accountable, decide the direction of our state, and elect representatives to advocate for our communities,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said. “I’m proud that so many Oregonians made their voices heard in this election. Our state is stronger when Oregonians hold their government accountable. Let's set another record in November.”

Certification is the final step in the post-election day process to ensure the security, accuracy, and fairness of Oregon’s elections. As part of this process, elections officials take a variety of steps, including:

• Resolving outstanding ballot issues, such as curing ballot signatures.
• Publicly testing the accuracy of vote tallying machines.
• Performing audits and hand counts to verify the results.

The Secretary of State’s office will release detailed election turnout data in the coming weeks.