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Oregon judicial elections
Judges in Oregon participate in nonpartisan elections in even-numbered years. Judges must run for re-election in nonpartisan elections for subsequent terms.[1]
Oregon is one of 12 states that uses nonpartisan elections to select judges and does not use retention elections for subsequent terms. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
| Supreme Court | Court of Appeals | Circuit Court | County Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan election - Six-year terms | Nonpartisan election - Six-year terms | Nonpartisan election - Six-year terms | Nonpartisan election - Six-year terms |
Elections
- Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2024
- Oregon intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
- Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2022
- Oregon intermediate appellate court elections, 2022
- Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2020
- Oregon intermediate appellate court elections, 2020
- Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2018
- Oregon intermediate appellate court elections, 2018
- Oregon local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Oregon judicial elections, 2016
- Oregon judicial elections, 2014
- Oregon judicial elections, 2012
- Oregon judicial elections, 2010
Election rules
Primary election
The primary election is held in even-numbered years on the third Tuesday in May.[1]
If a candidate in the primary election receives more than 50% of the vote, she or he is elected. If not, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election. The exception to this rule is when the election is for a vacated seat that would not otherwise have been on the ballot.
All judicial races require a primary election except those to fill a midterm vacancy for a seat that would otherwise have not appeared on the ballot that year. In the case of such a midterm vacancy, the primary may be skipped if only one or two candidates file for that office. If there are three or more candidates running for that seat, however, they compete in the primary. If any of them receives over 50% of the vote in the primary, that candidate's name appears unopposed on the general election ballot. If no candidate receives a majority, then the top two candidates advance to the general election. This differs from regular judicial elections that are held at the end of a judge's term in that no candidates can be elected at the primary.[2]
Recounts
Close races may trigger an automatic recount. If the difference between the two highest-voted candidates is not more than one-fifth of one percent of the total votes for both candidates, a recount is required.[3] If, after a recount, two candidates are tied, the winner is decided by lot.[4]
Vote by mail
Oregon votes completely by mail. Registered voters receive a ballot two to three weeks prior to the election, which they must submit by mail or by dropping it in an official drop box. The deadline by which ballots must be received is 8 p.m. on the day of the election.[5]
History
- 2000: Oregon became the first state in the nation to vote completely by mail.[6]
- 1931: Judicial elections became nonpartisan
- 1859: Oregon became a state, and its constitution required the election of judges.[7]
See also
External links
- Oregon Secretary of State, "Voting," accessed May 6, 2014
- Oregon State Bar website (for judicial voting guide)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oregon Secretary of State, "Election Law Summary," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Election Law Summary - ORS 249," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Revised Statutes, 258.280," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Revised Statutes, 254.575," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Voting in Oregon," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Election History," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "History of Reform Efforts: Oregon," archived October 6, 2014
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Oregon • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Oregon
State courts:
Oregon Supreme Court • Oregon Court of Appeals • Oregon Circuit Courts • Oregon Tax Court • Oregon County Courts • Oregon Justice Courts • Oregon Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Oregon • Oregon judicial elections • Judicial selection in Oregon
