Republican organizers in Oregon are offering to collect voters’ sealed ballots and deliver them to official drop boxes before the November 3 election. The ballot collection effort is part of a turnout campaign running October 31 through November 2. Organizers are also recruiting workers to reach voters through door knocking, calls and texts.

Oregon allows someone else to return your voted ballot, but that help comes with a deadline. The person collecting it must deliver it within two days, or by Election Day if that comes first. Handing an envelope to a volunteer doesn’t extend the time available to vote.

A Republican turnout push runs through November 2

GOTV Oregon PAC is advertising an October 31 through November 2 effort aimed at electing Christine Drazan governor and helping Republican legislative candidates. Its website calls for volunteers and paid workers to contact voters through door knocking, calls and texts. It also specifically describes offering to carry sealed ballots to a drop box.

The group’s stated goal is 1,000 volunteers and paid ballot chasers. That’s an organizing target, not a verified count of people who have taken part. The website identifies GOTV Oregon PAC as its sponsor and says the effort isn’t authorized by a candidate or candidate’s committee.

OPB reporter Dirk VanderHart reported October 30 that organizers are targeting competitive legislative districts, including areas of Clackamas County, the North Coast, the Columbia River Gorge and Marion County. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr supports the effort.

Democratic Party of Oregon spokesman Tom Crawford told OPB that Democratic campaigns aren’t collecting ballots this year and haven’t for several election cycles. He said the party’s staff and volunteers are helping voters complete and return their ballots. Encouraging someone to vote and taking custody of their envelope are separate activities.

What Oregon requires when someone returns your ballot

The rules apply regardless of which party a volunteer supports. ORS 254.470 requires a person returning another voter’s ballot to deposit it no later than two days after receiving it, subject to the election deadline. Ballots go back in their return identification envelopes, and the county verifies the voter’s signature before counting them.

For a drop box return, the deadline is 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 3, 2026. A ballot returned by mail must be postmarked by Election Day and reach the county elections office within seven calendar days after the election. The extra arrival time for properly mailed ballots doesn’t give someone holding your ballot extra days to keep it.

Voters can use an official drop box themselves

The Oregon Secretary of State recommends using an official drop box as soon as you’re ready. The state’s recommended mailing date, October 27, has passed. If you choose to mail a ballot now, the office advises asking a USPS employee at your local branch to hand postmark it.

Use the state’s official drop box locator to check locations and hours. TOL’s reporting on Oregon’s additional ballot drop boxes explains this year’s expansion. After returning your envelope, you can also use Oregon’s ballot alerts to follow its progress.

If you need help returning a ballot or have questions about an envelope you’ve already handed over, contact your county elections office. County Voting Assistance Teams are available to help voters vote privately and independently.