2023 Oregon Revised Statutes › Volume : 06 - Local Government, Public Employees, Elections › Chapter 247 - Qualification and Registration of Electors › Section 247.012 - Method of registering or updating a registration; when registration occurs; minimum registration information required; effect of missing registration information; registration locations.

(1) A qualified person may register to vote or update a registration to vote by:
(a) Delivering by mail, having a person deliver or otherwise delivering a completed registration card to any county clerk, the Secretary of State, any office of the Department of Transportation or any designated voter registration agency as described in ORS 247.208;
(b) Personally delivering, or having a person deliver, the card to an official designated by a county clerk under subsection (7) of this section;
(c) Submitting the person’s legal name, age, residence and citizenship information and electronic signature to the Department of Transportation; or
(d) Completing a registration card using the electronic voter registration system described in ORS 247.019.
(2) If a registration card is mailed or delivered to:
(a) Any person other than a county clerk or the Secretary of State, the person shall forward the card to a county clerk or the Secretary of State not later than the fifth day after receiving the card; or
(b) The Secretary of State or a county clerk for a county other than the county in which the person applying for registration resides, the Secretary of State or county clerk shall forward the card to the county clerk for the county in which the person resides not later than the fifth day after receiving the card.
(3) Registration of a qualified person occurs:
(a) When a legible, accurate and complete registration card is received in the office of any county clerk, the Office of the Secretary of State, an office of the Department of Transportation, a designated voter registration agency under ORS 247.208 or at a location designated by a county clerk under subsection (7) of this section;
(b) On the date a registration card is postmarked if the card is received after the 21st day immediately preceding an election but is postmarked not later than the 21st day immediately preceding the election and is addressed to an office of any county clerk, the Office of the Secretary of State, an office of the Department of Transportation or any designated voter registration agency as described in ORS 247.208; or
(c) In the case of a registration card missing a date of birth, containing an incomplete date of birth or containing an unintentional scrivener’s error that is supplied or corrected as described in subsection (4) or (6) of this section, on the date that registration would have occurred if the registration card had not been missing the date of birth, contained an incomplete date of birth or contained the scrivener’s error.
(4)(a) Except as provided in ORS 247.125, if a registration card is legible, accurate and contains, at a minimum, the registrant’s name, residence address, date of birth and signature, the county clerk shall register the person.
(b) If the information required under paragraph (a) of this subsection is missing from the registration card or the date of birth is incomplete, the county clerk shall attempt to obtain the missing or incomplete information from all sources available to the county clerk, including but not limited to current and previous addresses and phone numbers of the registrant. The county clerk may also supply the registrant’s date of birth from any previous registration of the registrant. If the missing or incomplete information cannot be obtained from sources available to the county clerk, the county clerk shall use reasonable efforts to contact the registrant by phone, mail and electronic mail to obtain the missing or incomplete information.
(5) If a registration card meets the requirements of subsection (4) of this section but is missing an indication of political party affiliation, the registrant shall be considered not affiliated with any political party. This subsection does not apply if an elector is updating a registration.
(6) If a registration card contains an unintentional scrivener’s error, the county clerk may attempt to contact the person to correct the error.
(7) A county clerk may appoint officials to accept registration of persons at designated locations. The appointments and locations shall be in writing and filed in the office of the county clerk. The county clerk shall be responsible for the performance of duties by those appointed.
(8) A registration card received and accepted under this section shall be considered an active registration.
(9) A registration may be updated at any time. [1979 c.190 §41; 1985 c.808 §1a; 1989 c.20 §1; 1989 c.173 §5; 1989 c.979 §2; 1993 c.713 §6; 1995 c.742 §1; 1999 c.410 §6; 1999 c.824 §1; 2008 c.53 §1; 2009 c.511 §1; 2009 c.914 §3; 2011 c.607 §1; 2015 c.8 §3; 2017 c.680 §1]
Note:
The amendments to 247.012 by section 4, chapter 492, Oregon Laws 2023, become operative June 1, 2026. See section 9, chapter 492, Oregon Laws 2023. The text that is operative on and after June 1, 2026, is set forth for the user’s convenience.
(1) A qualified person may register to vote or update a registration to vote by:
(a) Delivering by mail, having a person deliver or otherwise delivering a completed registration card to any county clerk, the Secretary of State, any office of the Department of Transportation or any designated voter registration agency as described in ORS 247.208;
(b) Personally delivering, or having a person deliver, the card to an official designated by a county clerk under subsection (7) of this section;
(c) Submitting the person’s legal name, age, residence and citizenship information and electronic signature to the Department of Transportation;
(d) Submitting the person’s legal name, age, residence and citizenship information to the Oregon Health Authority for use in the Oregon Health Plan; or
(e) Completing a registration card using the electronic voter registration system described in ORS 247.019.
(2) If a registration card is mailed or delivered to:
(a) Any person other than a county clerk or the Secretary of State, the person shall forward the card to a county clerk or the Secretary of State not later than the fifth day after receiving the card; or
(b) The Secretary of State or a county clerk for a county other than the county in which the person applying for registration resides, the Secretary of State or county clerk shall forward the card to the county clerk for the county in which the person resides not later than the fifth day after receiving the card.
(3) Registration of a qualified person occurs:
(a) When a legible, accurate and complete registration card is received in the office of any county clerk, the Office of the Secretary of State, an office of the Department of Transportation, a designated voter registration agency under ORS 247.208 or at a location designated by a county clerk under subsection (7) of this section;
(b) On the date a registration card is postmarked if the card is received after the 21st day immediately preceding an election but is postmarked not later than the 21st day immediately preceding the election and is addressed to an office of any county clerk, the Office of the Secretary of State, an office of the Department of Transportation or any designated voter registration agency as described in ORS 247.208; or
(c) In the case of a registration card missing a date of birth, containing an incomplete date of birth or containing an unintentional scrivener’s error that is supplied or corrected as described in subsection (4) or (6) of this section, on the date that registration would have occurred if the registration card had not been missing the date of birth, contained an incomplete date of birth or contained the scrivener’s error.
(4)(a)(A) Except as provided in ORS 247.125, if a registration card is legible, accurate and contains, at a minimum, the registrant’s name, residence address, date of birth and signature, the county clerk shall register the person.
(B) The county clerk shall register a person pursuant to ORS 247.018, regardless of whether the person’s registration card contains a signature, if the person’s registration card is legible, accurate and contains, at a minimum, the registrant’s name, residence address and date of birth.
(b) If the information required under paragraph (a)(A) of this subsection is missing from the registration card or the date of birth is incomplete, or if the signature of a person described in paragraph (a)(B) of this subsection has not been submitted, the county clerk shall attempt to obtain the missing or incomplete information from all sources available to the county clerk, including but not limited to current and previous addresses and phone numbers of the registrant. The county clerk may also supply the registrant’s date of birth from any previous registration of the registrant. If the missing or incomplete information cannot be obtained from sources available to the county clerk, the county clerk shall use reasonable efforts to contact the registrant by phone, mail and electronic mail to obtain the missing or incomplete information.
(5) If a registration card meets the requirements of subsection (4) of this section but is missing an indication of political party affiliation, the registrant shall be considered not affiliated with any political party. This subsection does not apply if an elector is updating a registration.
(6) If a registration card contains an unintentional scrivener’s error, the county clerk may attempt to contact the person to correct the error.
(7) A county clerk may appoint officials to accept registration of persons at designated locations. The appointments and locations shall be in writing and filed in the office of the county clerk. The county clerk shall be responsible for the performance of duties by those appointed.
(8) A registration card received and accepted under this section shall be considered an active registration.
(9) A registration may be updated at any time.