Washington County voters can track their Nov. 3 ballots using BallotTrax, a free tool Oregon expanded statewide for the first time. Ballots began arriving in mailboxes after the county started mailing them on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The service sends text, email or phone alerts at three points: when a ballot is mailed to the voter, when the county elections office receives it and when it is accepted for counting. Voters also get notified if there is a signature problem on their ballot envelope that needs to be fixed.

Washington County was one of five counties that already offered BallotTrax before the statewide rollout. The Oregon Secretary of State's Office expanded the program to all 36 counties with $150,000 in new state funding, as first reported by the Oregon Capital Chronicle.

The money came from a $1.25 million allocation the Legislature's Joint Emergency Board approved in September, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. Part of that funding also added more than 20 new ballot drop boxes across the state.

Secretary of State Tobias Read said at an Oct. 13 press conference that the tool is "a quick, easy, secure way to know that your vote is counted."

Voters who already signed up for BallotTrax in Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas, Yamhill or Marion counties do not need to re-register, Read said at the Oct. 13 event.

How to sign up

Voters can enroll at OregonVotes.gov/Track, according to the Secretary of State's ballot-tracking page. They need their ZIP code, date of birth and first and last name. The statewide expansion covers only the 2026 midterm election, according to OPB.

Key deadlines

Washington County began mailing ballots on Oct. 14, according to a county press release. Voters who have not received a ballot within a week of that date should contact Washington County Elections at 503-846-5800.

All ballots must be postmarked or returned to a drop box by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. No postage is needed to mail a ballot.

Read has urged voters who plan to use the mail to send their ballots by Tuesday, Oct. 27. A test his office conducted in August found that some regular mail was slow to receive a postmark because of U.S. Postal Service changes that route mail through a Portland hub.

Voters who prefer to skip the mail can use a 24-hour drop box. Three are located near Bethany, Cedar Mill and West Haven-Sylvan, according to Washington County's drop-site list:

  • Bethany Library, 15325 NW Central Dr., Suite J-8
  • Cedar Mill Community Library, 1080 NW Saltzman Rd.
  • West Slope Community Library, 3678 SW 78th Ave.

Drop boxes close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.