The Oregon Secretary of State’s office is reminding voters of a new law in the state known as the “postmark rule.” It says that any ballot postmarked by Election Day is considered on time even if it arrives at elections offices up to seven days after the election. Voters may be able to put their ballots in the mail as late as Election Day if their mail is collected by the U.S. Postal Service and postmarked that day. The new law will mean that the total number of votes cast in the election will increase in the days following Election Day. The Secretary of State’s office emphasizes they will not be “late” votes, and every vote tallied by elections officials will have been cast on time. The new law could mean that very close contests will not be decided on election night. The Oregon Legislature passed the postmark rule into law in 2021.