Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon's Secretary of State wants voters to be mindful of the upcoming election deadline and the fact that  Oregon's vote-by-mail election again coincides with a rate increase by the postal service.

Next week, voters will cast ballots on a variety of issues -- mostly municipal elections and  school board races. But mailing those ballots will cost voters more if they wait.

Don Hamilton is a spokesman for Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown.

Don Hamilton    "If you drop your ballot in the  mail on Friday or Saturday or even on Sunday, you're gonna be fine, but on Monday, the rates go up by two cents, you need forty-four cents to mail that ballot, starting Monday."

Last year, when postal rates went up during an extremely busy primary, county board of election ate the cost of additional postage for out-of-date stamps. But Hamilton warns that while counties may be occasionally willing to pick up some costs, ballot envelopes without postage will not be delivered.

And of course, voters can always be sure their ballots are taken care of if they're marked with "forever" stamps, which can be used anytime, at any rate.