It’s Time to Get Ready to Vote

Most voters’ ballots arrived in the mail by May 4. Election Day is May 16.

Your vote matters. We have election resources to help you get ready to vote.

This Special District Election is about local measures and candidates. The results will affect local government policies, services for our communities, and taxes to support those services.

Check out our May 2023 Special Election webpage which connects to written explanations of the three Multnomah County  ballot measures. In addition, you’ll find links to candidates’ answers to questions, videos of Voter Forums and candidate interviews for the major races, and podcasts of those forums and interviews.

The measures would: create a new tenant resources program funded by a capital gains tax; finance expanded public safety programs for Gresham with a new tax levy; and renew the Portland Children’s Levy. Also:

    • You can watch or listen to a forum on Multnomah County Measure 26-238. This would create a 0.75% capital gains tax to pay for legal services for tenants facing eviction. Pro and Con speakers present their arguments for and against this measure.
    • Voters throughout Multnomah County will be voting on the candidates running for all the positions on their local school and community college boards. We have recordings of interviews with some of these candidates. There is also a forum in which the candidates for the Portland Public Schools Board from Zone 3 answer questions. One of these candidates, Derrick Peterson, has since withdrawn from this race.
    • We also have a forum for voters in Southeast Portland , who will be electing a new Multnomah County Commissioner for District 3. This seat formerly was held by Jessica Vega-Pederson, who is now the County Chair.

All the candidates running in Multnomah County were offered free opportunities to answer questions for VOTE411.org and to participate in short recorded interviews. They have until Election Day to enter their answers on VOTE411.org. We have posted the recordings of the interviews.

Nonpartisan Information for Voters!

Lots of Info to help voters

Look on this website to find balanced nonpartisan information for Oregon’s May 19, 2020 Primary Election. You will find lots of info about the candidates and measures that will be on your ballot.

We have links to the online copies of our print Primary Election Voters’ Guide, both in English and in Spanish. The Voters’ Guide includes candidates’ answers to questions about current issues. In addition, there are balanced explanations of local ballot measures, with pros and cons.

Video Voters’ Guide interviews

We are also excited about our Video Voters’ Guide, which features short interviews  with 86 of the candidates who are running for office in Oregon or in  various districts within Multnomah County.

Learn about all our resources to help voters, by clicking here.

Be sure to Vote!

Be an informed voter and remember to mail your ballot by Thursday, May 14. (No stamp needed!) Or drop off your ballot at an official drop site by no later than 8 pm on Election Day, Tuesday, May 19.

Prepare to Vote – 2018 Election Info!

Are you ready to Vote?  Find unbiased information on candidates & issues on Vote411.org.

VOTE411.org is an online Voters’ Guide that shows you the candidates and issues on your ballot. It includes everything in our Voters’ Guide and more. There are links to videos of our forums and of talks with the candidates.

Enter your address to find out about the candidates and ballot measures that you will be voting on.

Printed nonpartisan Oregon & Multnomah County Voters’ Guides

Look for copies of the LWV voters’ guides in English and Spanish at all branches of the Multnomah County Library; the Multnomah County Elections Office; New Seasons and other stores; college, university and community college campuses; Gresham City Hall, churches, markets and many other locations.

Click on the links below to view a pdf of the English General Election guides. (Links to the Spanish guides are in the Informacion Electoral post above.)

Nov. 2018 Oregon Voters’ Guide – English

Nov. 2018 Multnomah Voters’ Guide – English

Video Voters’ Guide – recordings of candidate interviews

Click here to watch Video Voters’ Guide recordings of interviews with candidates running for office in Multnomah County. The Video Voters’ Guide recordings also are linked to each candidate on Vote411.org.

The Video Voters’ Guide includes interviews of candidates for U.S. Congress, Governor, the Oregon State Legislature, Circuit Court, and Metro, County and City offices. There are even interviews with the two candidates in the  election for Judge of the Circuit Court, 4th District.

Election Forums

Watch the videos of our 2018 General Election forums. (Scroll down and click on the title of each debate in the lists below.) See the schedules for the playbacks on Comcast and Frontier channels by clicking here for the October 2 forum and here for the October 9 forum.

Candidate forums

Portland Commissioner Position 3, Candidate Debate – JoAnn Hardesty vs. Loretta Smith

Multnomah County Auditor Candidate Debate – Scott Learn vs. Jennifer McGuirk  (Presented with City Club of Portland)

Ballot measure Forums

Debate on Metro Measure 26-199, Metro affordable housing bonds, plus explanation of Oregon Measure 102, which allows local bonds for financing affordable housing with nongovernmental entities.

Explanation of Oregon Measure 105 – Repeals law limiting state/local enforcement of federal immigration laws

Debate on Oregon Measure 103 – Prohibits taxes/fees for groceries

Debate on Measure 26-201 – Portland’s retailer surcharge for clean energy projects

Short on time? Watch key parts of the forums.

Portland Commissioner Position 3: Candidate Answers to 3 Questions + Closing Remarks

Multnomah County Auditor: Opening, Closing and Answers to 2 Questions

Metro Measure 26-199: Opening, Closing, Answers to 3 Questions

Portland Measure 26-201: Opening and Closing

Oregon Measure 103: Opening and Closing

Oregon Measure 102: Explanation

Sponsors for one or more of the Voter Services listed above are: Carol & Velma Saling Foundation, The Wyss Foundation, Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust, Multnomah Bar Foundation, MetroEast Community Media, Vernier Software and Technology, Neil Kelly Company, Paloma Clothing, the Sara Frewing Fund, and LWV of Portland Education Fund.

please be informed and Vote!

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