Bethany and Cedar Mill voters will have two 24-hour ballot drop boxes starting Wednesday, Oct. 14, when Washington County begins mailing ballots for the Nov. 3 general election.

The closest drop sites for area residents are the Bethany Library at 15325 NW Central Dr., Suite J-8, and the Cedar Mill Community Library at 1080 NW Saltzman Rd., according to Washington County Elections. Both boxes stay open around the clock until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Postal delays have raised the stakes for how voters return their ballots. During the May 2026 primary, more than 7,300 Oregon ballots that arrived within the post-election grace period were rejected because they carried postmarks dated after Election Day. That 13.1% rejection rate was higher than any prior election, the Hillsboro News-Times reported. Changes at the U.S. Postal Service now route all mail through a Portland processing center, so a ballot often does not receive a postmark until at least the day after it is mailed.

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read and other state officials urged voters at a Sept. 8 press conference to use drop boxes instead of mailboxes. Read told voters to prepare early.

"Use that voter's pamphlet to start researching and making your choices so that when your ballot does get to you, you can fill it out quickly," he said at the event, according to OPB.

Voters who prefer to mail their ballot should send it by Tuesday, Oct. 27, the last recommended mailing date. No postage stamp is needed. Ballots mailed back must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3.

A ballot can be returned to any official drop site in Oregon, not just one in the voter's home county.

Tuesday, Oct. 13 is the last day to register to vote or update party affiliation for the November election. Voters can check their registration through the county elections website.

Anyone who has not received a ballot by about a week after Oct. 14 should call Washington County Elections at 503-846-5800. The county also offers BallotTrax, a free tracking service that sends text, email or voice alerts as a ballot moves from mailed to received to counted.

The Nov. 3 ballot includes runoff races for Washington County Commissioner At-Large and Commissioner District 4. The Washington County Elections Office at 2925 NE Aloclek Dr. in Hillsboro is also an official drop site and will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.