Oregon has a rich bipartisan history behind mail-in ballot initiatives, with Oregon voters approving mail-in ballots for all biennial elections and general elections in 1998. This made Oregon the first U.S. state to have all major elections be determined by mail-in ballots.
The 2000 presidential general election, the first major election with statewide mail-in ballots, had a 79% turnout, one of the highest voter turnouts in the country. Mail-in ballots provide more people with the chance to participate in elections. Those that have school, university or work a full time job often struggle to make it to the polls. Mail-in ballots provide all voters with a chance to participate in their democracy.
However, the Trump administration has backed the push to ban mail-in ballots in Oregon, endangering the system. He has pledged to sign an executive order regarding the status of mail-in ballots before the 2026 midterm elections.
Ben Edtl, a Republican political consultant from Tualatin, is leading the campaign to gather signatures to move Oregon to require in-person voting, require “proof of citizenship” and require a “valid photo ID.” Initiative 37 needs over 156,000 signatures in order to qualify by the November 2026 elections.
Currently, there is not enough evidence to back the claims made by the leaders of Initiative 37 and the Trump administration’s attacks on mail-in ballots, with the Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read taking a public stance against misinformed attacks on Oregon’s mail-in system.
These attacks have been strengthened due to massive national misinformation campaigns; spanning from local initiatives to the Trump administration’s proposed attack through executive action.
Mail-in ballots allow UO students, both instate and out-of-state, to participate within their community elections. This attack on mail-in ballots will cause devastating harm to youth participation in elections.
Kali Kleven, a junior at the UO, ran the New Voters Project and shared the importance of mail-in ballots on campus. The New Voters Project, a project run through the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group, leads campaigns focused on new voter registration and then contacting young voters during elections to ensure that they have voted.
“We really believe the student voice is important, because it’s our future,” Kleven explained, “a lot of (low voter turnout) is because of the lack of awareness, and lack of education around voting.”
OSPIRG’s New Voters Project directly led to the increase of youth voter turnout in elections, making youth voter turnout on college campuses comparable to the average turnout of the general population.
Kleven expanded on the importance of mail-in voting for students on the UO campus. “I also know for many students, if you don’t have a car or the resources to go and get back home, or to a polling location, it can be really difficult to stay connected,” she said.
Mail-in ballots increase accessibility for both in-state and out-of-state students who lack the resources to reach a polling location, as well as for those who work during polling hours and can’t wait in line.
Kleven shared an anecdote about a student from Oklahoma, a state with strict in-person voting norms, who had to prioritize work and school over voting. When they had heard about switching residences to vote in Oregon through the mail-in ballot system, they did it in a heartbeat.
“It was really cool to hear them talk about how they’ve always cared a lot about politics, but quite literally have never had the time or resources to make it (to the ballot box) and vote,” Kleven recalled.
Mia Luscher, a senior at the University of Oregon, shared her perspective as an out-of-state student who receives an absentee ballot and the importance of mail-in ballots to her.
“I’m from Washington, which is two hours away from us, but that’s still extremely inaccessible if I had to go find a ballot box,” Luscher said. “As an out-of-state student, I feel like it’s making it hard (to vote), but also, for in-state people – there are places in Oregon where you’re an hour away from the nearest ballot box and those are often red areas.”
Luscher does not see herself going back to Washington soon, and mail-in ballots allow her to participate and vote in elections without barriers to accessibility.
University of Oregon students rely on mail-in ballot voting to rightfully participate in their communities; college students are vital in the civic community, and mail-in ballots protect their civic voices. It’s important for all students to fight for their right for accessible voting.
