Voter Registration Name Change in Oregon

A voter registration name change in Oregon is free and usually takes about five minutes. You will likely need to submit an updated paper registration form through the official Oregon voter registration page.

Update your registration after your Oregon driver's license shows your new name, since most registration forms ask for your current license number and the name on it.

Under the National Voter Registration Act ("motor voter"), updating your license at the Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver & Motor Vehicle Services (DMV) usually offers to update your voter registration at the same time. Say yes and you may not need a separate step at all.

One warning: don't assume it worked. Confirmation can lag by weeks, and a mismatch between your ID and the poll book is exactly the kind of surprise you don't want on election day. Verify on the official Oregon page a couple of weeks after your DMV visit.

Other registration updates (address, party, etc.) can be done fully online via the My Vote tool if you have an Oregon driver license/ID number, but a NAME change specifically requires completing a new paper voter registration form submitted to your county elections office - it cannot be done through My Vote. New registrations must be submitted by 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the 21st calendar day before an election; existing registered voters can update registration info up until 8 p.m. on Election Day and still cast a ballot, though updates typically take a few days to process. The law: ORS 247.025 and ORS 247.303. Update well ahead of any upcoming election so your registration reflects your new name at the polls.

If an election is close and you've missed the update window, call your county election office. In many places you can still vote under your former name with your current registration, and some states offer same-day corrections. The rules vary, so ask before you skip voting.

• Your Oregon driver's license or state ID (ideally already showing your new name)
• Your current residential address
• The last four digits of your Social Security number (some forms)

There is no fee to update voter registration in any state. This step is also a good prompt to update your name with your county property records and jury-duty notices, which pull from the same rolls.