Nov. 5 General Election: How to mark your ballot: A guide from the Wasco County clerk’s office

2. When marking your ballot, keep food, drinks or other items away from the ballot so they don’t get on the paper. If you’re a fan of eating Cheetos or Doritos, wait until you’re done voting before opening the bag!

3. Resist writing notes to us in the margins or blank areas of the ballot. We don’t have the time to read them, and they can interfere with the timing marks around the edges of the ballot.

4. Look at the “Vote For” number under the contest name to see how many candidates you can select. Most contests are Vote for One, but some contests allow you to vote for multiple people. Do not vote for more than the Vote For number. You may choose to vote for fewer candidates, or you can skip any contest.

5. When selecting the candidate you want to vote for, carefully fill in the entire oval next to their name. Don’t use a check mark, or an X, or a partial mark, or circle the oval and name — these require careful review by our team to make sure we correctly capture your intent as a voter.

6. If you make a mistake, cross through the oval and name of the candidate you don’t want, then fill in the oval for the candidate you do want.

7. If you want to write in a candidate rather than vote for someone on the ballot, fill in the oval next to the Write-In line, then write the name of the person you want on the line itself. Be sure to check the spelling of the person’s name before you write it. Writing the name in Block Letters or All Caps helps us decipher your handwriting.

8. If you select a candidate by filling in the oval next to their name, do not also write their name on the Write-in line! The system will think you’ve tried to vote for two people, and our team has to correct the error to make sure your vote counts.

9. Do not write comments in the Write-In line like “None of the above.” A comment is not a valid vote for a person.

When you have marked your ballot and are ready to return it, make sure only YOUR ballot is in the reply envelope that you sign. If there are two ballots in an envelope, we do not count either ballot. Don’t worry about trying to save on postage by putting two ballots in one envelope — postage is paid for by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Election Division.

If you have any questions or concerns about your ballot, call our office at 541-506-2530 for assistance.