Baker County early ballot returns top statewide average ahead of May 19 election

Baker County voters had returned 2,292 ballots by May 13, a 17.63% return rate that topped Oregon’s statewide 12.33% mark and left 10,707 ballots still outstanding in the county.

The unofficial return report, which Oregon election officials said can change as ballots are processed, showed 2,292 returns out of 12,999 eligible voters. The Baker County Clerk’s Office had mailed about 13,000 ballots on April 29, after the April 28 deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation for the May 19 primary.

That turnout snapshot matters because the ballot includes decisions that could be settled by a relatively small electorate. Baker County voters are choosing in two of the three Baker County Board of Commissioners positions, and they are also weighing a county government structure measure that would create an administrator role and shift day-to-day administrative duties away from the chair if approved. In a county where May elections often draw only a fraction of registered voters, late ballots can still shape the result.

The current pace is close to what Baker County saw at the same point in the 2024 May election, when ballots returned reached 17.8% by May 14. Stefanie Kirby, the Baker County clerk, has said the county usually sees 30% to 40% turnout in May elections, a range that leaves plenty of room for the final week to change the picture.

With Election Day set for May 19, ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by that date. Official drop sites remain open until 8 p.m. on Election Day, and Kirby recommended that anyone who had not mailed a ballot by May 12 bring it to the courthouse or use a drop box instead. The west side drop box at the Baker County Courthouse in Baker City remains a key local option for voters who want to avoid last-minute mail problems and make sure their ballots are counted on time.