This November, Salem voters can weigh in on who they’d like to see represent them in the Oregon State Capitol, Congress, and the White House. They’ll also get to weigh in on a range of statewide issues, including ranked choice voting and unions for cannabis issues. And they’ll decide a measure that would pay for construction and upgrades at Chemeketa Community College.Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. The deadline to register to vote is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Ballots will be mailed out on Oct. 16. Even the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will be casting their votes this year. Over 1,000 Marion County residents and military personnel living overseas are also going the extra mile to get their ballots in on time.The average voter will have a much simpler route to the ballot box. Here’s what to know about how to vote in Salem, and how votes get counted. How to register to vote Anyone who is 18 years old by election day, a U.S. citizen and an Oregon resident can vote in the November election. Teens can register at age 16, but won’t receive a ballot until their 18th birthday.Voters must register before midnight on Oct. 15. Registration is available online and requires an Oregon driver license, permit, or ID card.Those without a license can complete a voter registration form, which is also available in the back of the voter’s pamphlet, and at city halls, in post offices and libraries. To register, return the form to the county election’s office, which also has blank forms to fill out.  People who have moved or changed their name since the last election should update their registration online or fill out a new card. Check to see if your voter registration is up to date on the Oregon Secretary of State website.Forms can be brought to elections offices in-person or mailed, as long as the post office marks it before the registration deadline.Marion County Elections is located at 555 Court St. N.E., suite 2130 in downtown Salem. Send mail to P.O. Box 14500 Salem, OR 97309. Their hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. The Polk County elections office is at 850 Main St. in Dallas. Their hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.For questions, call Marion County Elections at 503-588-5041, or at 1-800-655-5388. Deaf and hard of hearing voters can call a TTY/TDD line at 503-588-5610.  Polk County Elections can be reached at (503) 623-9217, and their number for deaf and hard of hearing voters is 711. High turnout expected There’s been a surge of voter registrations in the past month, with a few thousand new voters joining the rolls, said Marion County Clerk Bill Burgess.“I didn’t originally think that was going to happen, because we already have about 90% of the people eligible to vote registered to vote,” he said.His guess is that a lot of the people who had opted out of automatic voter registration changed their minds.“We certainly are expecting a high turnout,” Burgess said. There are 227,118 active registered voters in Marion County as of Sept. 26, Burgess said. That’s an increase from the November 2022 election, which had 221,066 registered voters and a turnout rate of 61.46%. About 74% of registered Democrats cast their votes, 83% of Republicans and 38% of non-affiliated voters.Over 167,015 Marion County residents voted during the last presidential election in 2020, a turnout rate of 78%. In that election, about 89% of registered Democrats cast ballots, 92% of Republicans, 59% of non-affiliated voters and 79% of voters in other parties.  Though registrations have climbed, Burgess said there are fewer Democrats and Republicans on the rolls than in 2020. Each party accounts for about 27% of Marion County voters. About 40% of current voters are non-affiliated. Polk County has 63,725 registered voters as of Sept. 26, according to Chief Elections Clerk Cole Steckley.In November 2022, 41,826 people voted in the county, a turnout of 66.5%. During the last presidential election in 2020, 80.3% of eligible voters turned in their ballots. How to vote Ballots need to be postmarked or returned to a drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5. Ballots, even if mailed in time, must be received within 7 days of Election Day to be counted, so clerks strongly encourage sending them early.First, make sure to put the ballot in the provided envelope, and sign it.  Election officials ask that voters sign the back of their envelope with care, and attempt to match what is on file. Sign it like it’s a check, not an iPad at a coffee shop register. When signatures cannot be verified, officials will inform the voter and provide a registration card for them to update their ballots. For ballots without signatures, officials will send a postcard to the voter with an affidavit they must sign within 21 days of Election Day.See a list of official drop box locations in Marion County here, and in Polk County here.Marion County will also turn into a “huge mega polling place” Nov. 4 and 5, and have extra people on hand to deal with ballot issues. It will also have a special voting booth.“So people that want to can vote the old fashioned way,” Burgess said.Accidents happen, often in the form of dogs eating ballots and spilled coffee. Voters can call their elections office, which will deactivate the damaged ballot in their ballot tracking system, and activate a replacement ballot which will be mailed out.  If your ballot is damaged within four days of Election Day, clerks recommend visiting the office in-person to make sure a replacement comes in time.  How ballots are counted Each ballot return envelope in Oregon is given a unique number and barcode to ensure that no one can vote twice by requesting a replacement ballot. The centralized system will also catch if someone has already voted in another county.“We have procedures in place to ensure that we only count one vote per person,” Burgess said. “Sometimes people forget what they’ve done or haven’t done over a couple weeks.”During the busiest time of the week leading up to the election, the Marion County clerk’s office will have a sheriff’s deputy there for security.There are seats available at the clerk’s office for anyone who wants to be an election observer. They must sign-up and follow a list of rules, including not interacting with people counting the ballots.The Marion County Clerk’s office is planning to staff over 80 people during election week, who will be having late nights to count all the ballots.Results are not certified until up to 22 days after the election, which gives time for people who had signature issues to fix them. That means in a close race, the outcome may not be clear for weeks.“So, if it’s a close race, hold your hat, it’s going to be a little while,” Burgess said. Last year, CC:Media posted a segment on how ballots are counted in Marion County. Watch it here: Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post What to know about voting in Marion, Polk counties this November appeared first on Salem Reporter.