May 16th is the second day of Filing Week in Washington State, but in Oregon and Idaho, May 16th is a Special Election Day, with much at stake.
Readers, if you live in the Beaver State or the Gem State, it’s very, very important you exercise your civic duty today and vote.
Courtesy of the Multnomah County Elections Division, here are some important things to know if you’re an Oregon voter.
- You can view your registration status at Oregon Votes. There you can check or update your voter registration or track your ballot.
- Ballots were mailed beginning on Wednesday, April 26th, 2017. If you did not receive your ballot (and you live in Multnomah County), please call 503–988-3720 to request a replacement ballot.
- Not all the candidates or measures in the Voters’ Pamphlet will be on your ballot. Your residence address determines those districts for which you may vote. Your official ballot will contain the candidates and issues which apply to your residence.
- Not all candidates submitted information for the Voters’ Pamphlet so you may have candidates on your ballot that are not in the Voters’ Pamphlet.
- Voted ballots MUST be received at any County elections office in Oregon or official drop site location by 8:00 PM, Tuesday, May 16, 2017 to be counted.
There are a lot of school board positions and local propositions on the ballot across Oregon. The outcome of these contests will determine what kind of leadership communities across the Beaver State will have.
It is too late to mail back a ballot in Oregon, but it’s not too late to vote. You can look up your nearest ballot drop box return location using this link.
And here’s a summary of the stakes in today’s election in Idaho, courtesy of Democratic State Representative (and House Democratic Leader) Mat Erpelding:
Depending on where you live, the May 16th elections will determine how Idaho moves forward.
Here are just a few of the major issues up for a vote tomorrow.
- In Bonneville County, voters will determine if an Eastern Idaho Community College is created.
- School bond and levy issues will dominate ballots across the state including in Soda Springs, Emmett, Cottonwood, Nezperce, and Hagerman.
- School board member elections will determine who plans the future of education at the local level. Caldwell, Nampa, Coeur d’Alene, Lake Pend Oreille (Sandpoint) each have vitally important elections.
- Highway Transportation Districts determine the future of our local transportation infrastructure including bike lanes, paving prerogatives, and new expansions. Canyon County (Canyon County Highway District, Golden Gate Highway District, etc.) Kootenai County (Lakes Highway District), and others have elections tomorrow.
If you’re an Idaho voter, find your polling place by following this link.
2 Comments
Looks like you did your homework on this one. Oregon has had a May primary since as long as I remember. I grew up in Walla Walla, about 5 miles from the Stateline. I remember presidential candidate coming to small Oregon towns like Pendleton because it’s primary was important.
I voted!