Voting was perhaps the one aspect of Oregon life that did not require significant changes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and, with five days left to vote in the May primary, Clackamas County Clerk Sherry Hall reports that voter turnout does not appear to have been affected.
Actually, turnout is up compared to this point four years ago, with 23.1 percent of ballots having been returned as of Thursday afternoon.
“The pandemic is challenging for everyone,” Hall said in a press release. “But at least we’re seeing an uptick in voter turnout and civic participation, possibly because so many people are at home during this time.”
The biggest issue facing Canby area voters is a 20-year, $75 million school bond measure, which would increase safety, upgrade technology, and repair and improve school facilities. It would not raise taxes, but would continue the current rates.
For more information on the bond measure, see our write-up on the bond package here, and check out our latest episode, “Bond, School Bond”:
Candidates
Canby voters will also help decide four races that could significantly impact the leadership makeup of the county: Three seats on the Board of Commissioners and the sheriff’s position are up for grabs.
County Chair: Jim Benard (incumbent) and Tootie Smith.
Commissioner, Position 3: Martha Schrader (incumbent), Bill Osburn and Evan Geier.
Commissioner, Position 4: Ken Humberston (incumbent), Mark Shull and Breauna Sagdal.
County Sheriff: Angela Brandenburg, Lynn Shoenfeld, Brian Jensen and Roger Edwards.
Initial results will be released at or shortly after 8 p.m. on Election Day, and this will be the only results released that night. Updates will be posted twice daily, at noon and 5 p.m., until all the votes are tallied. You can find those on the county’s website.
It’s too late to mail your ballot and ensure it gets counted, so find a drop box instead. There are two in Canby: outside the Canby Civic Center and Library, and at Arneson Garden, behind Fred Meyer.