09/28/2026
YOU ASKED. CRUSTY ASKED THE DESCHUTES COUNTY CLERK.
We asked Deschutes County Clerk Steve Dennison what happens when someone moves here from another state, what happens with snowbirds, and what keeps someone from voting in two states.
Here is his answer, verbatim:
CAN I BE REGISTERED IN OREGON AND CALIFORNIA AT THE SAME TIME?
No. You may register and vote in only one state at a time.
WHAT IF I’M A SNOWBIRD?
Pick the place you call home - the place where you live and plan to return when you are away. You may receive your ballot by mail wherever you are staying, but you should be registered in only one place.
Snowbirds, college students, and travelers, this message is for you!
If you are going to be away during the winter months and you would still like to vote, you can request an absentee ballot. Simply provide the first and last days you plan to receive mail at this address, and we will send your ballot to this address between those dates. The post office will not forward your ballot from your home address, so it is important we have the address where you'll be during the election.
If you have an Oregon Driver's License/ID this information can be updated online using the Oregon Secretary of State's My Vote webpage. Otherwise, please complete and sign the Oregon Secretary of State's Absentee form SEL 111 and return it to our office by mail, fax, or drop off.
https://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/myvote.aspx?lang=en
https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Documents/SEL111.pdf
If you are a Military or an Overseas Voter please visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) webpage.
https://www.fvap.gov/oregon
https://www.deschutescounty.gov/471/Elections-Voting
WHAT KEEPS ME FROM VOTING IN BOTH STATES?
It is against the law to vote twice in the same election. Oregon law makes it illegal to vote, or try to vote, in Oregon and another state in an election held on the same day. Voting twice is a felony.
https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors260.html
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE MOVES HERE?
When a person moves to Deschutes County from California, Idaho, or another state and registers to vote here, they may still show on the old state’s voter list for a while. Voter lists are kept by each state, so changes do not always happen at the same time.
Being listed in two places for a short time does not give anyone the right to vote twice. The voter should cancel the old registration and vote only where they now live. Oregon’s official guidance says that people who were registered in another state should cancel that old registration when they register in Oregon.
https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/pages/student-voters.aspx
Oregon election officials also maintain voter records. If an Oregon county receives written proof that a voter has registered in another state, the county may cancel that Oregon registration.
https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors247.html
ABOUT DMV REGISTRATION:
A qualifying person who gets an Oregon driver license or ID may be registered through Oregon Motor Voter. This process helps eligible Oregonians register here; it does not mean a person gets two votes or can keep voting in their former state.
https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Pages/motor-voter-faq.aspx
— Steve Dennison, Deschutes County Clerk
STILL UNSURE? ASK THEM YOURSELF.
You don’t have to take Crusty’s word for it. Ask the people who run elections here in Deschutes County.
Deschutes County Elections / Voter Registration
[email protected]
541-388-6547
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