Hundreds of people gathered Saturday at the Benton County Courthouse in Corvallis for No Kings: Vote Early, part of a nationwide day of events aimed at getting voters to return their ballots early for the Nov. 3 general election.
Organizers said more than 3,000 similar events took place across the country Oct. 17. The national effort is being coordinated by a coalition that includes Indivisible, the American Civil Liberties Union, 50501, the American Federation of Teachers, Black Votes Matter Fund, MoveOn, Public Citizen and Voto Latino. Organizers describe the events as nonpartisan.
The Corvallis gathering took on a festive tone. A red carpet ran from the curb on Fourth Street to the courthouse ballot drop box, and a costumed character called Barney Ballot Box — a walking ballot box with oversized cartoon hands — waved at passing traffic and greeted people as they dropped off their ballots. A banner reading “YOUR VOTE MATTERS” hung above the crowd while music played from a “Boogie for Ballots” dance party.
Sign-holders lined Fourth Street as passing drivers honked. Children and adults added to a large “VOTE EARLY” chalk mural on the walkway leading to the courthouse steps, and a photo booth with props invited participants to take selfies to share on social media.
Volunteers circulated through the crowd with information on voting, including how to track a ballot. Participants were asked to pass the early-voting message along to five people who weren’t at the event and were invited to sign up for a local get-out-the-vote canvassing campaign.
Corvallis resident George Beekman said he received his ballot Saturday morning and rode his bike to the courthouse to turn it in.
“I’m here because I believe in democracy, and our democracy is threatened,” Beekman said. “Authoritarian regimes depend on people not having a voice. Voting is our voice.”
Amina Meselhe, an Oregon State University graduate student, said she wants to see more young people participate, noting that younger voters often don’t turn out.
“A lot of people feel hopeless or they don’t see the point, but I think that’s the exact reason why they need to show up,” Meselhe said.
Corvallis resident Louise Zeringue said she came out to encourage others to cast their ballots early.
“Voting is our privilege and our right … we inherited that,” Zeringue said.
Benton County mailed ballots last week and several people at the event said theirs arrived Saturday.
Organizers encouraged voters to skip the mail and use an official drop box. Their advice matches guidance from Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read. In August, Read’s office tested how long it took the U.S. Postal Service to postmark and deliver mail to elections offices in all 36 counties. Every piece in the test was postmarked in time to count. However, delivery times varied widely, especially in rural and eastern Oregon counties. One piece took 11 days to reach the Harney County elections office.
Under Oregon law, a ballot postmarked on or before Election Day counts if it arrives within a week afterward. Read said voters who mail their ballots should send them by Oct. 27. After that, he recommends returning ballots to a drop box or county elections office.
Registered voters who haven’t received a ballot by Oct. 26 should contact the Benton County Elections Office at 541-766-6756. Voters can check their registration and track their ballot at re.bentoncountyor.gov.
In Philomath, the ballot includes races for three City Council seats with five candidates in the field. A drop box is located in front of Philomath Community Library.