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Elections, and more elections

Voters are being asked to weigh in on important issues with increased frequency lately, it seems. The November 7 regional vote to pass a bond funding Portland Community College will be followed by a January 23 statewide vote on Measure 101, a referendum on a bill passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2017.

A yes vote on the measure would uphold the law; a no vote would repeal it. The final ballot title, announced Nov. 1, reads, “Approves temporary assessments to fund health care for low-income individuals and families, and to stabilize health insurance premiums. Temporary assessments on insurance companies, some hospitals, and other providers of insurance or health care coverage. Insurers may not increase rates on health insurance premiums by more than 1.5 percent as a result of these assessments.” At this time, that is the only question on the January 23 election.

Then on March 13, another election is slated, although we’re not sure what questions or candidates will be on that ballot. Washington County Elections office shows no filings at this time.

May 15 is the date for primary elections for several important races. The Washington County Chair, three Commission positions, and the County Auditor are all going before the voters. The Board of Commissioners governs the unincorporated areas of Washington County, which includes Cedar Mill.

Metro Council has four terms expiring at the end of December, including Chair and District 4, which includes most of Cedar Mill.

If a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in those primaries, they will be elected. Otherwise the top two candidates for each position will go on the ballot for the November 6, 2018 election.

The Oregon Secretary of State maintains ORESTAR, a campaign finance database where you can search for information about who is donating to which campaign. Find out for yourself who is backing candidates and measures.

Elections are expensive, and single-issue ballots don’t usually get very high participation rates. We wonder about strategic reasons for diluting the vote by having numerous small elections.

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