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Visit the Oregon State Capitol

 

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Run for Office

Picture of Oregon Voter placing Ballot in MailboxIt's surprisingly simple to register as a candidate and run for office in Oregon - although far more difficult to gather supporters and win. View the list of open offices [pdf] at the Secretary of State's website, and fill out the form for the office you wish to run for.

Picture of Financial CalculatorSome offices require paying a candidate registration fee, or signatures in lieu of a fee. Find out more about how to run for office​

Picture of REpublican Elephant and Democrat DonkeySerious candidates finance their campaign in order to publicize their candidacies. How your campaign is financed must be reported to the Oregon Elections Division. The information you are required to file depends on your level of expenditures in the calendar year.​

Independent candidates rarely win elections, so most candidates for office run through a political party. Some minor parties will place inexperienced candidates on the ballot in seats that would otherwise go unopposed. You can also run for office through a major party, though the requirements are more complex within each party system. 

See the complete list of Oregon's political parties.

 


 

Oregon's Election Process

Take a self-study course on elections using the civics toolkit.

Did You Know?

Oregon's Territorial Government was established in 1848.


Betty Roberts was the first woman judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals and also the first woman associate justice on the Oregon Supreme Court.