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City Cast Portland

Statewide candidates can now officially file for the 2024 May primary. Plenty have announced plans to seek higher office (or reelection):

State Sen. James Manning (D-Eugene) and Treasurer Tobias Read

 are running for Oregon secretary of state, a job that includes overseeing state elections and audits. Gov. Tina Kotek appointed the current secretary of state, former Portland Auditor LaVonne Griffin-Valade, after fellow Democrat Shemia Fagan resigned in May. [Oregonian]

Oregon has now had back-to-back woman governors, and multiple woman secretaries of state, but 

. State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner (D-Beaverton), a key budget writer and medical doctor, seeks to change that. The current treasurer, Tobias Reed, can’t run again because of term limits restrictions. [KGW]

Absent-Prone Republicans File for Reelection Anyway

Three senators who accumulated at least 10 unexcused absences have so far filed to run again. 

That’s despite the prohibition in Measure 113

, passed by voters last year, which outlawed reelection bids from legislators with that many unexcused absences. They’ll challenge the measure in court. One has announced plans to retire. And the other two whose terms expire next year have yet to decide. [OPB]

Statewide candidates can now officially file for the 2024 May primary. Plenty have announced plans to seek higher office (or reelection).

Oregon 2024 Election Season Kicks Off 

Local Civics

What's being decided in Portland City Hall and why it matters. We monitor local elections, political news, and Portland City Council.

Portland, Oregon, Election and City Hall News

Tuesday was a special election day in Oregon, so I asked pollster John Horvick, of DHM Research, for his impressions of the results — I share some of the election updates in the news section above. But among the results, voters soundly rejected (82% to 18%) the Multnomah County Measure 26-238 that would have funded tenant attorneys in eviction court with a tax on capital gains — 

a kind of tax that’s never been imposed by any county in the U.S.

It’s always an interesting night when Portland voters reject a tax, or at least that's the stereotype. What happened to the measure? 

“It is different from most other money measures that have institutional or elected official backing, and then it's a whole new mechanism. This came from a group of Democratic Socialists of America.”

“I don't see anything in these results to suggest a backlash. For most places and most measures, voters said yes to either maintaining or increasing their taxes to fund the services that they value — at the same rate that we've seen in recent elections.”

“Twenty-three to 24% probably is where we end up in Multnomah County. On the one hand, that's typical for May special elections. On the other hand, it's not a particularly effective way to engage people in important decisions about our elected leaders, and how we fund government when turnout is so low.

“The highest turnout right now [in the state] is Wallowa County. It's well over 50%. It's pretty clear that turnout is high because it had the “move the Idaho border” measure on the ballot that got people energized. And it's close — 21 votes as of this morning, with the yes side winning.”

3 Questions With John Horvick

What Portland celebrities, public figures and key citizens have to say about living here.

3 Questions With Portland Public Figures

3 Questions With

Portland, unlike almost all the major cities in the U.S., doesn’t add fluoride to the water. It’s a 

 and plenty of people who have lived here a long time.


 More than 70% of Americans have fluoride in their water, 

at least when there aren’t shortages of the substance

.And there is scientific consensus around the idea that fluoride in the proper doses is good for teeth. 

🦷 The Centers for Disease Control said “wide-spread water fluoridation as one of the 10 most important public health accomplishments of the 20th century,” the 

. 

🦷 The American Dental Association has recommended 

.

But if your typical Portland voter has rallied around science during the COVID pandemic these last few years, worries about keeping the water “clean” also won the day recently. In 2013, Portland voters delivered a crushing defeat to the pro-fluoride city officials; here’s what happened. 

🦷 City Council 

voted unanimously to add fluoride to the water

. (A unanimous vote usually tamps down controversy, but this issue was immediately referred to the ballot by energized opponents.)

🦷 Proponents of fluoride raised twice the amount as opponents. 

🦷 But then voters 

rejected it overwhelmingly — 61% to 39%

fourth time Portland voters opposed fluoride

 approved a change to the commission form of government last year. Maybe this will change too. Who knows.

What’s the Deal With Portland’s No Fluoride Stance?

What Portlanders have been wondering. We break down why things in Portland are the way they are and how they work.

Portland, Explained

It’s time to vote — help decide the election. There are two ways to cast your ballot today:

You can still mail it in if you’re sure it will be postmarked today.

 Counties. The deadline is 8 p.m. today for a drop box.

For anyone who is holding out because of indecision, the official Voters’ Pamphlet always has surprising and helpful details. Crack open the book (that went out to you via mail). Or check it out 

 Counties have their own official pamphlets for local races.


This year, Oregon extended the deadline for voting, in one key way. Any ballot postmarked by Election Day will count. (Previously, ballots had to be received by an election office on time.)

Reader William Stephan Vertal wrote in with this question: “How is the decision made as to when to stop counting ballots?”

The answer: the new cutoff is 7 days later. Ballots have to arrive by a week after Election Day to be counted. 

For added context, it’s helpful to know that media outlets are usually able to project a winner on Election Night because enough ballots are in and counted that there is no or little chance that the results will change. (What’s reported is not official results.) But with the change to the postmark rule, that might delay results.

“It could make it more difficult for the media to project a winner in some close races because it will take longer for elections officials to count every ballot,” says Secretary of State spokesman Ben Morris.

And in the May primary, about 7.5% of ballots in Multnomah County didn’t come in until after Election Day, according to a tally by 

. It’s not clear if that pattern will hold. Stay tuned.


Help Your Neighbor: Vote

Make Portland better, one neighbor at a time. Find volunteering opportunities, ways to get involved and give back, and more.

Help Your Portland Neighbors

Help Your Neighbors

It’s looking like there might be some good news for that rare breed: the Oregon Republican.

Today, we’re breaking down some key races that could shape the future of our state and our country. These are ones political experts are watching, and that voters will decide in these last days of the 2022 election season. (Get your ballots in a 

In the governor’s race, national outlets — the 

, to name a few — have focused on this election because it’s competitive and counter to the usual narrative. (

, so political insiders have known for a while this election could be tough for the Democrats.) Despite a 35-year Democratic hold on the governor’s office, polls have consistently shown Republican candidate Christine Drazan within a point or two of Democrat Tina Kotek. The race is considered a 

The U.S. House of Representatives is looking like it’ll flip to a GOP majority tomorrow. Locally, there are at least three tight congressional races. Oregon’s 5th congressional district, formerly held by a Democrat, 

Washington’s 3rd congressional district

, where a Republican incumbent who voted for impeachment was defeated by a MAGA Republican. Oregon’s new congressional district, the 6th, 

It’ll also be interesting to see what happens with control of the Oregon Legislature, where Republicans may have a shot at 

elections

Oregon 2024 Election Season Kicks Off

3 Questions With John Horvick

What’s the Deal With Portland’s No Fluoride Stance?

Latest articles

Oregon 2024 Election Season Kicks Off

3 Questions With John Horvick

What’s the Deal With Portland’s No Fluoride Stance?

Help Your Neighbor: Vote

Is Oregon Really Experiencing a Republican Wave?

Latest articles

Help Your Neighbor: Vote

Is Oregon Really Experiencing a Republican Wave?