Here’s your roadmap to make sure you’re ready for the primary election on May 19, 2026 and the general election on November 3, 2026.

Important Voter Registration Dates

1st Week of March: Register to Vote

If you’re not yet registered, do it now. Oregon’s closed primary system means unaffiliated voters cannot participate in most primary races. Pick your party, claim your voice, and get in the game.

Action: Register to vote on the Oregon Secretary of State website here.

* Life changes, and your voter registration should too! Did you:

• Move to a new address?
• Change your name?
• Switch party affiliation?
• Update your signature?

Make sure you update your voter registration is up-to-date on the Oregon Secretary of State website

April 28, 2026: Voter Registration Deadline for the Primary Election on May 16, 2026

This is the last day to register to vote for the upcoming primary election.

Action: Register before April 28. Set a reminder now.

October 13, 2026: Voter Registration Deadline for the General Election on November 3, 2026

This is the last day to register to vote for the upcoming general election.

Action: Register before October 13. It takes just a few minutes to do online! Register to vote here.

Important Election Dates

Primary Election​​​​​​​​

Oregon will hold a statewide primary election on May 19, 2026.

​In Oregon, major political parties nominate their party candidates at the Primary Election. Major parties have the option of choosing a closed primary, meaning only voters registered with that party can vote for candidates of the same party. Those nominees then appear on the November General Election ballot. All registered voters can participate in the General Election, regardless of their party affiliation. 

All voters, regardless of party affiliation, will be able to vote for non-partisan races and for measures, if any, at the Primary Election.

Learn more on the Voting in Oregon webpage.​

April 29, 2026
First day ballots are mailed to voters

May 19, 2026
Election Day. County Clerk’s offices open 7 am – 8 pm. Official dropsites open until 8 pm. Last day for voter to return ballot. Ballots that are mailed must be postmarked by election day. Ballots deposited in an official drop box must be received by 8pm.

June 25, 2026
Final election results certified.

General Election​​​​​​​​

Oregon will hold a statewide general election on November 3, 2026.

September 18, 2026
Military & overseas ballots mailed

October 5, 2026
Out of state ballots mailed

October 13, 2026
Voter registration deadline

October 16, 2026
Ballots mailed to voters

November 3, 2026
Election Day

November 10, 2026
Last day to receive valid postmarked ballots from USPS

November 24, 2026
Last day to resolve challenged ballots

November 30, 2026
Last day to certify election

*These dates are subject to change. Please check the Secretary of State website for the most up-to-date and accurate information.

The post Voting in the Oregon 2026 Midterm Elections appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

Oregon Capital Chronicle
February 27, 2026

As we close out Black History Month, we must remember what this commemorative month asks of us as a community: Honor those who fought for racial and economic justice. But history isn’t just about the past — it’s about the systems that continue to marginalize communities today.

Oregon faces a child care crisis and we must be clear about who bears its brunt. Nationally, the child care workforce is 95% women.

Black, brown, and melanated women are disproportionately represented in this essential, underpaid labor that allows every other sector of our economy to function. Immigrants make up at least 21% of our child care workforce, and roughly one in four providers rely on Medicaid for health insurance. None of this is coincidence. This is history repeating itself.

Caregiving has always been devalued work. When work is devalued and workers are marginalized, it becomes easy for politicians to strip away funding. It becomes easy to say “we can’t afford it” when the “it” is the livelihood of Black and brown women.

When you cut child care funding, you’re not just cutting programs. You’re cutting the economic stability of our communities and pathways out of poverty for families of color. You’re replicating the same systems of exclusion that Black History Month asks us to dismantle.

During the 2026 legislative session, we made three specific, achievable demands:

• Restore the $20 million in unspent dollars from the Early Learning Account to fund early childhood programs. The money exists, it simply needs to be redirected to serve the children it was meant to help.
• Retain the $78 million of federal Child Care Development Fund dollars to fill the ERDC deficit. With thousands of families on waitlists, we cannot afford to lose this critical funding.
• Stop making cuts to DELC. Do not balance the budget on the backs of Black and brown caregivers. Proposed cuts of even 2.5% would mean $30 million slashed from programs that serve our most vulnerable families.

Oregon ranks as the 10th most expensive state for child care, with preschool costs averaging $14,000 annually and infant care nearing $20,000. For working families, this isn’t just expensive; it’s prohibitive and exclusionary.

This Black History Month, we have a choice. We can celebrate the icons of the past while perpetuating the inequities of the present, or we can honor their legacy by fighting for justice right here, right now. When we invest in child care, we fund justice. We fund the future that Black History Month asks us to imagine and build.

Access to child care has a direct impact on Oregon’s economy. When parents know they have safe, consistent care for their children, they can work and contribute to our state’s prosperity. Child care is one of the biggest expenses families face, yet we treat it as optional rather than essential infrastructure.

The civil rights leaders we honor this month understood that economic justice and racial justice are inseparable. They fought for systems that lifted entire communities, not just individuals. Today, that same fight continues in Salem, where lawmakers must decide whether child care deserves investment or austerity.

I’m grateful to be in this work alongside parents, providers, and advocates across Oregon who understand that child care is civil rights work. The question now is whether our legislature will join us.

Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Shumway for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com.

The post Don’t balance Oregon’s budget on the backs of Black and brown caregivers appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

Thanks to a partnership between BOLI and Business Oregon, registered apprentices and early-career journey workers in construction are eligible for subsidies to make child care more accessible and affordable. The Child Care for Construction program collaborates with other state agencies and community partners to provide financial assistance to help Oregonians be successful.

The CCC program helps eligible families access reliable, affordable child care, because strong communities start with strong families. Under the CCC program, Oregon provides childcare subsidies to keep your cost for childcare at or below 7% of total household income.

There is no maximum household income for this program. You may qualify for financial assistance if you have children under the age of 12 (or with special needs under the age of 17) living at home and in need of care from someone other than a parent, and you currently spend more than 2-7% of your household income on child care.

Learn more about the program on the BOLI website here.

The post Child Care for Construction: Financial Assistance Program for Apprentices and Early-Career Journey Workers appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

Governor Kotek Convenes Experts to Chart a Path to Universal Preschool for Oregon 

Early Childhood Care and Learning System Roundtable to start with assessing current state-funded early learning programs to identify gaps and recommend improvements, strengthen alignment

Salem, OR – Today, Governor Tina Kotek announced she is convening state and national early learning experts to provide recommendations to improve access to affordable, quality childcare and preschool across the state, with the ultimate goal of ensuring access to preschool for all Oregon children.

“While President Trump freezes funds for childcare and undermines early education, Oregonians agree that children should have access to high-quality education, and that starts before kindergarten,” Governor Kotek said. “These leaders will work together to help us chart an actionable path for Oregon to achieve universal, statewide pre-k that working families can access and afford. Achieving this goal will help all children succeed and support the working families who make our economy grow.” 

The first five years of a child’s life are a critical period for learning and growth. The First Five Years Fund, a national non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring all children from birth to age five have access to high-quality, affordable early care and education, finds that children who receive a high-quality early childhood education are more likely to earn higher wages, live healthier lives, avoid the criminal justice system, raise strong families, and contribute to society. 

Additionally, a lack of early childhood care and learning options hurts the state’s economy. The First Five Years Fund projects that Oregon’s economy loses $1.4 billion annually due to childcare challenges. Too often, parents face an impossible choice between missing work and caring for their children. For some, that means forgoing a job altogether. 

Over the past decade, Oregon has made important progress in expanding access to quality preschool at both the state and local level. However, too many families still struggle to find and afford high-quality childcare and preschool. 

The Early Childhood Care and Learning System Roundtable (Roundtable) will work in phases to develop a blueprint for an Oregon where every family can access and afford high-quality childcare and preschool. The scope of the Roundtable’s recommendations includes:

• How to improve the state’s current childcare and preschool programs with existing resources. 
• How to expand access and improve affordability of childcare for infants and toddlers across the state. 
• How to achieve universal preschool access for 3-and 4-year-olds across all 36 Oregon counties. 

The Roundtable will be chaired by Kali Thorne Ladd, CEO of Children’s Institute, and Sara Mickelson, a national expert in early childhood systems. 

Thorne Ladd was previously the co-founder and executive director of KairosPDX, a culturally specific organization dedicated to eliminating educational opportunity and achievement gaps for historically underserved children. Thorne Ladd has a long track record of working to transform early learning and healthy development for children and families in Oregon. This has included serving as the chair of the board for Portland Community College, serving on the state’s Early Learning Council, and serving on the board of the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation based in Portland. Thorne Ladd has also worked on education strategies in the mayor’s office in the City of Portland and at the Oregon Department of Education. 

“I am glad the Governor made the strategic decision to prioritize this conversation,” Thorne Ladd said. “Access to quality early learning has an enormous impact on Oregon’s economic prosperity and is essential for our children to thrive in school and in life.”

Mickelson recently served as Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Early Childhood Education & Care Department, where she managed an annual budget of over $700 million and led the teams responsible for New Mexico’s PreK expansion, home visiting, and childcare toward a universal system. Mickelson brings deep familiarity with Oregon’s specific landscape to the role, having previously served as Chief of Programs and Chief of Staff for the Oregon Early Learning Division. During her tenure in Salem, she led the budget development and implementation of the early learning portion of the Student Success Act, resulting in a historic doubling of the state’s early care and education budget and the creation of 15,000 new early learning opportunities. 

“Expanding access to early childhood services isn’t just about policy; it’s about providing stability for working families and a strong start for children in their most important years of development,” Mickelson said. “Scaling an early learning system that truly works for every family, regardless of where they live in the state, is a critical undertaking. This starts with getting the plan right, creating a roadmap that is not just ambitious but sustainable and grounded in the reality of what Oregon parents need.”

“Governor Kotek’s leadership on universal preschool couldn’t come at a more critical moment,” said Candice Williams, Executive Director at For All Families Oregon (formerly Family Forward). “While we face alarming kindergarten readiness gaps and a childcare crisis that’s costing Oregon’s economy billions, this roundtable can be a source of hope for Oregon families. We’ve seen what happens when early learning programs work: children thrive, parents can go to work, and communities prosper. But we’ve also seen too many families struggle to find quality, affordable care. This effort must address the urgent needs of working families across all 36 counties and ensure every child has access to the strong start they deserve. This is about building an Oregon where families don’t have to choose between their paycheck and their child’s care and development.”

The Early Childhood Care and Learning System Roundtable follows a series of actions the Governor has taken to improve public education at every level. That work has included the highest level of K-12 funding support in Oregon history, new investments in science-backed reading instruction, a statewide cell phone ban in schools, and the expansion of summer learning opportunities. The Governor’s collective efforts to tackle education challenges in Oregon helped contribute to a record high 82% high school graduation rate in 2025. 

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The post FAFO Executive Director Named to Governor Kotek’s Early Childhood Care & Learning System Roundtable to Chart a Path to Universal Preschool for Oregon appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

Hello from For All Families Oregon (FAFO)!

This update is coming to you from Shayla, the Care Intern at FAFO, to keep everyone in the loop on where our bills are and where they are going this legislative session. I’ve been honored to work with the team for the 2026 short session and have learned so much about advocacy, child care, and the ups and downs of working to get measures passed. We’ve got a great team here at FAFO who have made me feel welcomed with open arms and allowed me to get involved despite having no experience in the field of advocacy — and now I want to help everyone else get involved too!

I will kick things off with a summary of the bills we are supporting this short session and where they are as of this week. I’ll be providing a recap on what public hearings and work sessions have happened. If you missed the live hearing or work session and want to watch a recording, find a link attached to the bills. Follow a bill’s journey through the publicly available recordings on OLIS, shared below.

Funding the $88M budget shortfall

Tuesday 2/17 – CANCELLED
Ways & Means Sub Committee on Education
Lawmakers must allocate the $20M in the Early Learning Account and the $78M of federal funding from the Child Care Development Grant

SB 1507 (Federal Tax Disconnect)

Monday, 2/9 (8am)
Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue 
Result of Work Session: Passed with Amendments
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE

HB 4088 (Strengthening Shield Laws)

Monday, 2/9 (3pm)
House Committee on Judiciary
Result of Work Session: Passed with Amendments
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE

HB 4018 (Campaign Finance Reform)

Tuesday, 2/10 (8am)
House Committee on Rules
WATCH HEARING HERE

Thursday, 2/12 (8am)
House Committee on Rules 
WATCH PUBLIC HEARING HERE
Result of Work Session: Passed with Amendments and referred to Ways and Means

HB 4127 (Reproductive Justice)

Thursday, 2/12 (3pm)
House Committee on Health Care
Result of Work Session: Passed with amendments and referred to Ways and Means
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE

HB 4057 (Streamlining Early Learning Systems)

Tuesday, 2/10 (8am)
House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services
Result of Work Session: Passed with Amendments. Referred to President’s desk.
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE

HB 4079 (Safeguarding Students and Families)

Wednesday, 2/11 (8am)
House Committee on Education 
Result of Work Session: Passed with Amendments
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE

HB 4138 (Law Enforcement Visibility Act)

Monday, 2/16 (3pm)
House Committee on Judiciary
Result of Work Session: Passed with Amendments
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE

SB 1587 (Prevent Data Broker Sharing)

Wednesday, 2/11 (12:45pm)
Senate Committee on Judiciary
WATCH PUBLIC HEARING HERE

Monday, 2/16 (12:45pm)
Senate Committee on Judiciary
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE
Result of Work Session: Passed with Amendments

HB 4150 (Public Contracts Prohibition)

Thursday, 2/12 (1pm)
House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE

HB 4111 (Anti-Discrimination Protections)

Monday, 2/16 (3pm)
House Committee on Judiciary
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE

HB 4114 (Protect Your Door Act)

Wednesday, 2/11 (3pm)
House Committee on Judiciary
Result of Work Session: Passed with Amendments. Referred to President’s desk.
WATCH WORK SESSION HERE

HB 4117 (Representation and Children’s Stability Fund)

Monday, 2/16 (3pm)
House Committee on Judiciary
WATCH PUBLIC HEARING HERE 

Thank you for taking an interest in care!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns on child care, the bills we’re supporting, or anything else, feel free to reach out to me at my email, shayla@forallfamilies.org. 

The post 2026 Legislative Mid-Session Update appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

It is this idea that drives what we do here at FAFO! We work in community to build power for future generations by ensuring today’s parents and caregivers are supported.

And right now in Salem, our legislature is meeting for a very short session of just 35 days. They’re working to pass bills and determine budgets — tangible moral decrees on what is deemed most important. During legislative session, we can show up and demand our lawmakers invest in our communities instead of prioritizing corporations and the ultra wealthy. 

We’ll be in Salem on the 16th for the Child Care For Oregon (CCFO) Day of Action to tell our lawmakers: it’s time to support working families. We’d love for you to join us in speaking our truths.

Learn more about this year’s legislative session and get involved here.

Mientras conmemoramos el centenario de lo que se convertiría en el Mes de la Historia Negra, quiero reflexionar sobre un aspecto fundamental de nuestra historia que a menudo pasa desapercibido: el legado del cuidado y las cuidadoras en las comunidades negras y afroamericanas.

El tema de este año, “un siglo de conmemoraciones de la historia negra”, nos invita a honrar no solo los nombres de las personas famosas en los libros de historia, sino a las cuidadoras cotidianas cuyas manos han mantenido unidas a nuestras comunidades a través de generaciones.

Carter G. Woodson, nacido de padres que fueron esclavizados, entendió que la educación era el camino hacia la auto-capacitación. Lo que también entendió, y lo que debemos reclamar hoy, es que el trabajo del cuidado es igualmente fundamental para el empoderamiento comunitario. Durante generaciones, las cuidadoras negras han sido las arquitectas no reconocidas de nuestra resiliencia.

Hoy, las trabajadoras del cuidado — en una mayoría abrumadora, mujeres negras y de piel morena— continúan esta tradición bajo condiciones cada vez más difíciles. Las mismas manos que nos cuidan a nosotras y a nuestros seres queridos a menudo reciben un salario inferior al mínimo vital, y algunas enfrentan reclasificaciones que podrían reducir su pago a $7.25 la hora.

Para citar a Audre Lorde: “Tu silencio no te protegerá… y al fin sabrás con certeza incomparable que solo una cosa es más aterradora que hablar tu verdad. Y eso es no hablar.” Es esta idea lo que impulsa lo que hacemos aquí en FAFO. Trabajamos en comunidad para construir poder para las generaciones futuras, asegurando que las madres, padres y cuidadoras de hoy tengan apoyo.

En este momento en Salem, nuestra legislatura se reúne para una sesión muy corta de tan solo 35 días. Están trabajando para aprobar proyectos de ley y determinar presupuestos, decretos morales tangibles sobre lo que se considera más importante. Durante este tiempo, podemos presentarnos y exigir que inviertan en nuestras comunidades en lugar de priorizar a las corporaciones y los ultra ricos.

Estaremos en Salem para decirles a nuestras legisladoras y legisladores: es hora de apoyar a las familias trabajadoras. Nos encantaría que te unieras a nosotras para hablar sobre nuestras verdades.

Obtenga más información sobre la sesión legislativa de este año y tome acción aquí.

The post Care Work is Foundational to Community Empowerment appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

“There is a crisis brewing in Oregon when it comes to child care. Thousands of families in Oregon are at risk of losing their child care, unless the Oregon legislature steps up and puts more resources into Employment Related Day Care (ERDC). This program of subsidized childcare is on track to run out of money in January 2027, according to Marchel Kaleikini and Ivy Major-McDowall, who are both with the organization For All Families Oregon. If ERDC were to run out of money, it would have catastrophic consequences for families and care providers, and wider repercussions to Oregon’s economy.

We spoke with Marchel and Ivy about the funding crisis facing Employment Related Day Care, and how the state can ensure that families don’t lose access to this vital program.”

The post On the Brink: Thousands of Oregon Families at Risk of Losing Their Child Care appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

Disconnect from Trumps’ HR 1 bill and protect Oregonians from the impending impact of these tax cuts for the rich. The ultra-wealthy and corporations do not need any more tax cuts. Oregon is perfectly capable of preventing further cuts; to do that, we must stop prioritizing tax giveaways for corporations and the wealthiest. Working families and our future generations need our lawmakers to show up and do something.

HUNDREDS GATHER IN SALEM, CALLING ON LAWMAKERS TO CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOPHOLES AND PROTECT HEALTHCARE, SCHOOLS, AND MORE

Salem, Ore. — Several hundred gathered in Salem today to urge lawmakers to rein in tax loopholes for the ultra-wealthy to prevent massive cuts to childcare and healthcare, food assistance, public safety, schools, and other critical programs.

“Families can’t just wait and hope that things get better. They can’t afford the basics NOW. It is simply wrong to consider cutting essential services like education, homecare, child welfare, and maintaining the beauty of Oregon without first stopping these giveaways to the rich. If anything, it’s time that they start paying their fair share,” said Johnny Earl, President of SEIU Local 503.

State agencies have been directed to propose reductions to their budgets in response to a massive budget deficit created by new tax breaks for large corporations and the ultra-wealthy, signed into law by President Trump and replicated automatically into Oregon’s tax code.

Andrea Williams, President of Oregon Food Bank, said: “The task before us grows each day. Visits to our food assistance sites have increased by 51% over the last 2 years. That was 2.9 million visits to the Oregon Food Bank Network last year. It feels like we wake up every day and ask, when will the cruelty end?”

Cuts being considered would force mid-year school cuts, result in major losses in our childcare, firefighting, public safety, and behavioral health work force, construction jobs, clean energy jobs, and more.

“These cuts are happening in real time, impacting our students across the state,” said Enrique Farrera, President of the Oregon Education Association. “There is no world in which we can expect better outcomes for our students when educators are losing their jobs while billionaires line their pockets.”

Kate Oldfield, President of AFSCME sub-local 2376-002 and a Correctional Counselor with the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC), said: “If we have to rebalance the state budget in a way that cuts funding from public safety, my job will be even less safe. Fewer staff will create a devastating impact on the safety of DOC workers and the Adults in Custody that we care for.”

“If I had not been able to access the Employment Related Daycare Program (ERDC), I would not have been able to afford to provide for my child,” said Makayla Towry, a recipient of the Employment Related Daycare Program (ERDC). “I’m grateful to have had the resource during this last year, and I also realize there are others who have been waiting for funding to be reinstated so they can have access to the same help.”

“Imagine, if you will, how bewildering it was for me to learn about my layoff less than 24 hours after submitting grades for 840 students. How difficult it was for me to sit down with my three children—two high schoolers and a UO student, to tell them that I was going to lose my job,” said Mike Urbancic, President of the American Association of University Professors of Oregon. “Are Oregon students getting the education they deserve? They face rising tuition, increased student loan debt, larger class sizes, and fewer course offerings—making it harder to complete their degrees on schedule.”

“In the past year, we have already seen nearly 10% of classified employees at Portland Public Schools laid off. We have lost beloved faculty, staff, and graduate employees at the University of Oregon, at PSU, and at schools, community colleges, and universities across Oregon,” said Thea Cooper, Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers – Oregon.

Photos of the event can be found here.

Learn more about Fight for Our Future Coalition at forourfutureoregon.com.

Contact: Kelsey Paden, Interim Executive Director, Our Oregon

The post Hundreds Gather in Salem, Calling on Lawmakers to Close Corporate Tax Loopholes and Protect Healthcare, Schools, and More appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.