2012 Election Snapshot: Oregon

2012 Election Snapshots

Over the past several months, Pew collected data about the 2012 presidential election from nearly every state and the District of Columbia. We used the findings to create a snapshot of each jurisdiction, focusing on how many people voted, how long they waited to cast their ballots, how they cast them, and how many ballots were not counted. These snapshots will be released over the coming months, five at a time, and the Election Data Dispatches will take a closer look at the latest snapshots each week.
Snapshots_generic

2012 Election Snapshot—Oregon

Oregon has exclusively used vote-by-mail since 1998. To guide this process, the state developed a lengthy procedures manual for how counties should handle these ballots, including details on verifying the signatures on ballot envelopes.

In the 2012 general election, 13,114 domestic mail ballots were rejected, less than 1 percent of more than 1.8 million ballots cast in the state. Of the rejected ballots, 78 percent were not counted because the signatures were omitted or did not match those on the voters’ most recent registration cards.

Voters have 10 days after an election to resolve such issues. When a ballot envelope is unsigned, county election officials attempt to contact the voter and obtain a signature. When the signatures do not match, the voter is sent a challenge notice and can verify their signature by signing an updated registration card and returning it by mail or in person.

Follow us on Twitter using #electiondata and get the latest data dispatches, research, and news by subscribing today.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Article

37 Scientists Pioneering the Future of Biomedical Research

Quick View
Article

Biomedical researchers are at the heart of nearly every medical advancement. From cutting-edge cancer treatments to breakthrough discoveries about emerging viruses, these scientists use creativity and ingenuity to explore new horizons in human health and medicine. And for nearly 40 years, The Pew Charitable Trusts has supported more than 1,000 early-career researchers committed to this work.

Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics

Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?