PORTLAND, Ore. — Ballots for Oregon's May 21 primary election will be mailed out to voters starting Wednesday, and copies of the state Voters' Pamphlet have already started arriving in mailboxes. But there's a curious omission from the pamphlet: Donald Trump isn't listed in the Republican candidate section, even though Joe Biden appears in the Democratic candidate section.
The news comes after a round of questions about whether individual states could disqualify or remove Trump from their ballots, culminating in a U.S. Supreme Court case to resolve the issue, and his absence from the Oregon pamphlet is prompting questions and speculation online about whether it signals that he's been left off the ballot.
RELATED: Oregon's voter registration deadline is Tuesday. Here's how to register or update your information
THE QUESTION
Will Donald Trump still be on the Oregon primary ballot, even though he's missing from the Voters' Pamphlet?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, Donald Trump will be on the primary ballot in Oregon. His absence from the Voters' Pamphlet doesn't affect his ballot eligibility.
WHAT WE FOUND
Multiple states moved to block Trump from their 2024 ballots last year under the Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, prompting legal battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court in February. The Court ruled that individual states do not have the power to enforce the 14th Amendment for federal candidates; only Congress can do that.
Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade made it clear back in November that she had no intention of blocking Trump from Oregon's ballot. A group of Oregon activists sued to try to force her hand, but the Oregon Supreme Court ultimately threw the lawsuit out, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling.
But qualifying for the Oregon ballot does not mean a candidate will be automatically listed in the Oregon Voters' Pamphlet. Each candidate must submit a statement for publication in the pamphlet, along with either a fee ($3,500 for presidential candidates) or a requisite number of signatures. The Trump campaign did not do so for Oregon.
The pamphlet itself explains what happened; although Trump is missing from the Republican Party Candidates section, he is included in a list of all candidates earlier in the pamphlet, and an asterisk next to his name points to a footnote stating that he chose not to submit a statement.
He's not the only candidate in that position; a handful of others are listed with the same asterisk at the front and otherwise missing from the guide, including Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson.
Several Oregon counties produce and mail out their own Voters' Pamphlets, focused on local races and measures. Those pamphlets have a similar look and format to the state version, but they do not include statewide races, so no presidential candidates are listed in them.
It's also worth noting that although Trump will be on the May 21 ballot, not everyone will have the option of voting for him. Oregon has a closed primary system for partisan races, so only registered Republicans will be able to vote for Republican primary candidates. The deadline for Oregon voters to change their registration in time for the election is Tuesday.
