ORS 545.141: Conduct of election; challenge and verification of qualifications of elector; counting ballots.

(1) Voting may commence as soon as the polls are open and may continue during all the time the polls remain open. Voting shall be conducted as nearly as practicable in accordance with the general election laws. An absent elector may obtain a ballot and vote, as nearly as practicable, in the manner provided for absent electors in ORS chapter 253. (2) A person who offers to vote and claims to be an elector, but fails to provide either evidence of ownership, acreage or other voting authorization, shall be allowed to vote after submitting a sworn statement in accordance with the provisions of ORS 254.407 and 254.409. However, any person voting pursuant to this section shall, in addition to the information required by ORS 254.407, include information in the elector’s statement concerning the location of the claimed land and the precise acreage for which the elector is claiming ownership or voting authorization. Upon receipt of the elector’s sworn statement, the secretary of the district shall attempt to verify the elector’s voting qualifications under the Irrigation District Law. (3) Any election board member or elector present at the time of voting shall challenge a person offering to vote in any election whom the board member or elector knows or believes to be unqualified as an elector. Any challenge shall be made in accordance with ORS 254.415. The elector’s statement of challenge required by ORS 254.415 shall include the location of the claimed land and the precise acreage for which the elector is claiming ownership or voting authorization. Upon receipt of the elector’s sworn statement, the secretary of the district shall attempt to verify the elector’s voting qualifications according to the provisions of the Irrigation District Law. (4) As soon as the polls are closed the judges shall open the ballot box and shall commence counting the votes. The ballot box may not be removed from the room in which the election is held until all ballots have been counted. The counting of the ballots shall be public. The presiding officer of the board of election or one of the judges shall take ballots from the ballot box one at a time, open them and read aloud the name of each person named on the ballot and the office for which the person is voted. If the intent of the voter is clear, the vote shall be counted and not rejected for lack of form. The judges shall keep an accurate account of the votes by tallies in duplicate and the counting shall continue without adjournment until all votes have been counted. [Formerly 545.030; 2001 c.257 §3; 2007 c.154 §65; 2013 c.520 §22]