Washington County elections officials outline May 19 primary workflow, turnout and safeguards

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. — Washington County elections officials told the Board of Commissioners on June 23 that the May 19, 2026 primary was certified on June 12 after an extended counting and review process that prioritized accuracy and transparency.

Dan Forrester, manager of the Elections Division, said the office carried out a multistage workflow that began months before election day and included candidate filing, ballot design and proofing, statutory logic-and-accuracy testing and two public tests. ‘‘We certified the election on Friday, June 12th,’’ Forrester said, noting the certified results were transmitted to participating districts and to the Secretary of State.

The office reported about 153,686 ballots were cast countywide, a 38.5% turnout for the primary, and a preliminary estimated election cost of roughly $525,000, which includes the voters’ pamphlet and printing and staffing expenses. Forrester said staff conducted a robust logic‑and‑accuracy regimen — a test deck of 32,000 ballots through each of six tabulation stations totaling about 192,000 test scans — and held public tests before scanning and again before certification.

Why it matters: staff framed the emphasis on layered safeguards as central to public trust and legal compliance. Forrester repeatedly stressed that the Elections Division operates “politically neutral” and follows federal and state law and documented procedures at each step.

Counting and ballot handling: the division described a process of signature verification and bipartisan adjudication teams to resolve unclear marks or overvotes. About 2,400 ballots were challenged for signature mismatch and roughly 500 for missing signatures; voters were given the opportunity to ‘‘cure’’ challenges by returning a registration card or affidavit within 21 days after election day (the office described a 21‑day cure window followed by certification the next Monday). Forrester said 1,327 challenged ballots were cured by the deadline. The office also reported 203 ballots that required manual adjudication because the tabulation system could not read them and 37 completely blank returns.

Voter services and technology: Forrester highlighted voter engagement and tracking tools: BallotTrax, which sends status notifications to voters and now has nearly 60,000 county users (an increase of about 2,100 after the primary), and VOTES, a mobile/email ballot option for UOCAVA military and overseas voters (about 290 users this primary). The office also runs site collection for ballots and encouraged use of drop boxes or in‑person return to reduce mail‑related uncertainty.

Legal and policy context: staff flagged two external developments that could affect local processes: a pending U.S. Supreme Court review of laws allowing ballots postmarked on or before election day to be accepted if received within seven days (Oregon’s postmark law has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2022), and the federal Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act under consideration in Congress, which would impose new verification and documentation requirements if enacted. Forrester said the county will follow any change in law and coordinate with County Counsel and the Secretary of State.

Commissioner questions focused on roll maintenance and privacy. Forrester said the Elections Division uses multiple data sources — Postal Service NCOA moves, returned undeliverable ballots and interstate data sharing through ERIC — to detect voters who have moved. He explained the difference between inactive and canceled statuses: voters who miss two general election cycles (roughly eight years) can be canceled, while inactivation may follow an undeliverable ballot and corresponding outreach.

On privacy, staff said unique ballot identifiers appear on the return envelope (not the physical ballot) and are used to manage active ballot tracking; the mailing house uses temporary matching data during packet assembly and is contractually required to destroy that mapping after mailing.

The board did not take any formal action on election policy at the meeting. For information about individual contests or to check ballot status, the Elections Division posts results on its website and the Secretary of State’s results page.