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Your 2026 Salem-area voter guide: what's on the Marion and Polk County ballots

Writer: Willamette News Staff
Willamette News Staff
23 minutes ago
10 min read
The Oregon State Capitol in Salem with its gold pioneer statue, green lawn and blooming cherry trees
The Oregon State Capitol in Salem. File photo. Photo: M.O. Stevens / Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Published Oct. 17, 2026. This guide will be updated as Election Day approaches.


Ballots for Oregon's Nov. 3 general election started going out Oct. 14, and voters in the Salem area have a full slate of races to decide. Every ballot includes the races for governor and U.S. Senate, according to the Oregon Secretary of State. Voters will also choose members of Congress, state legislators and a range of county and city officials.


One thing will be missing: for the first time in decades, there are no statewide ballot measures, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reports.


This guide is nonpartisan. Candidates are listed in the order they appear on the ballot, which is set by a random alphabet the Secretary of State draws for each election. Your own ballot will only include the races for the districts where you live.


Key dates

  • Oct. 13: Last day to register to vote or change party for this election. That deadline, 21 days before Election Day, has passed.

  • Oct. 14: Counties began mailing ballots. If you registered by Oct. 13, your ballot should be mailed between Oct. 14 and Oct. 20, according to the state Voters' Pamphlet.

  • Oct. 27: Last recommended day to return your ballot by mail.

  • Oct. 30: If your ballot hasn't arrived by now, call your county elections office.

  • Nov. 3, 8 p.m.: Election Day. Ballots must be in a drop box or county elections office by 8 p.m., or postmarked by Nov. 3.


Oregon still counts mailed ballots that are postmarked by Election Day and arrive within a week. The Marion County Voters' Pamphlet says ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 count if they are received by Nov. 10.


There's a catch this year. Because of changes at the U.S. Postal Service, mail is now sent to a hub in Portland to be postmarked, so a ballot dropped in a mailbox on Election Day may not get a Nov. 3 postmark, the Capital Chronicle reported. Election officials recommend using a drop box. If you mail your ballot late, take it inside a post office and ask for a free manual postmark.


How to return your ballot

Sign the return envelope. Your signature should match the one on your voter registration. No postage is needed, and you can use any official drop box in Oregon. Ballots dropped in another county are sent back to your home county.


Find the nearest box with the state's drop box locator. County elections offices are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.


Drop boxes in Salem and Keizer

These Marion County sites have been open since Oct. 14 and stay open until 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to the Marion County Voters' Pamphlet:


  • Marion County Clerk, 555 Court St. NE, Suite 2130, Salem (indoor; weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Election Day 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.)

  • Marion County Health, 3180 Center St. NE, Salem (curbside, 24 hours)

  • Roth's Fresh Market Vista, 3045 Commercial St. SE, Salem (indoor; daily 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Election Day until 8 p.m.)

  • Roth's Fresh Market Sunnyslope, 4555 Liberty Road S, Salem (indoor; daily 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Election Day until 8 p.m.)

  • Roth's Fresh Market Hayesville, 4746 Portland Road NE, Salem (indoor; daily 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Election Day until 8 p.m.)

  • Marion County Public Works, 5155 Silverton Road NE, Salem (curbside; weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Election Day 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)

  • Keizer City Hall, 930 Chemawa Road NE, Keizer (curbside, 24 hours)


Two more Marion County sites open only on Monday, Nov. 2, and Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.: a drive-through on the north side of the Marion County Courthouse in the 500 block of Court Street NE, and a walk-up box in the Walmart parking lot at 5250 Commercial St. SE. Marion County lists drop sites in other cities on its elections website. We reported earlier this month on the county's decision to hold off on two extra drop boxes.


In Polk County, all of these drop sites are open 24 hours:


  • West Salem: Roth's Fresh Market, 1130 Wallace Road NW

  • Dallas: Polk County Courthouse, east side, 850 Main St.

  • Independence: City Hall, 555 S. Main St.

  • Monmouth: City Hall parking lot entrance, 151 Main St. W.

  • Falls City: Community Center, 320 N. Main St.

  • Grand Ronde: 9615 Grand Ronde Road


Check your registration and track your ballot

Use the state's MyVote tool to check your registration and see where your ballot is.


New this year, every Oregon voter can sign up for text, email or phone alerts when their ballot is mailed, received and accepted for counting at OregonVotes.gov/Track. The alerts also flag problems with your signature. You'll need your ZIP code, date of birth and name.


Lost your ballot, or moved?

If your ballot is lost, destroyed or damaged, call your county elections office and ask for a replacement, the state Voters' Pamphlet says. Ballots aren't forwarded, so if you moved, update your address in MyVote. If Election Day is less than five days away, call your county for instructions.


  • Marion County Elections: 503-588-5041, elections@co.marion.or.us, 555 Court St. NE, Suite 2130, Salem

  • Polk County Clerk: 503-623-9217, 850 Main St., Suite 201, Dallas


You don't have to vote in every race for your ballot to count.


Governor

Gov. Tina Kotek is seeking a second term. Three candidates are on the ballot, according to the state Voters' Pamphlet. Occupations are as the candidates listed them there.


  • Brett Smith, Pacific Green. Inventor, small business owner, welder and fabricator.

  • Tina Kotek, Democrat, also nominated by the Working Families Party. Incumbent governor.

  • Christine Drazan, Republican, also nominated by the Libertarian Party. State senator.


The Capital Chronicle has candidate Q&As and fundraising information for the race.


U.S. Senate

Sen. Jeff Merkley is up for reelection. Candidates on the ballot:


  • David Brock Smith, Republican

  • Jeff Merkley, Democrat, also nominated by the Working Families Party. Incumbent.

  • Gary Lyndon Dye, Libertarian

  • Chris Henry, Progressive and Pacific Green


See the Voters' Pamphlet and the Capital Chronicle's Senate race page. We couldn't find a campaign website for every candidate.


U.S. House

Salem, Keizer and all of Polk County, including West Salem, are in the 6th Congressional District. Some Marion County voters outside Salem are in the 5th or 2nd District. The sample ballot in the Marion County Voters' Pamphlet shows all three races.


6th District (race page)



5th District (race page)


  • Janelle Bynum, Democrat. Incumbent.

  • Andrea Townsend, Pacific Green

  • Patti Adair, Republican, also nominated by the Libertarian Party


2nd District (race page)



Oregon Legislature

Voters statewide will fill 15 state Senate seats and all 60 House seats. These are the main Salem-area races, with ballot listings from the Marion and Polk county pamphlets and campaign links from the Capital Chronicle's voter guide, which has Q&As for each race. Not sure of your district? Your ballot lists it.


Senate District 10 (South and West Salem, Independence and Monmouth)



Senate District 11 (North Salem, Keizer and Woodburn)



House District 19 (South Salem)



House District 20 (Monmouth, Independence and West Salem)



House District 21 (North Salem and Keizer)



House District 22 (Woodburn)



House District 23 (Polk and Yamhill counties)



House District 24 (Polk and Yamhill counties)



Parts of Marion County also vote in Senate districts 6 and 8 and House districts 11, 15, 17, 18 and 57. Those races are listed in the Capital Chronicle guide and the Marion County pamphlet.


Marion County races

Marion County commissioner races are partisan. Candidates are listed with the occupations they gave in the county Voters' Pamphlet.


Commissioner, Position 1


  • Kevin Cameron, Republican. Marion County commissioner.

  • Sara Duncan, Democrat, Independent, Working Families. Development and fundraising manager, PCUN.


Commissioner, Position 2


  • Colm Willis, Republican. Marion County commissioner.

  • Maria Hinojos Pressey, Democrat, Independent, Working Families. Deputy director, PCUN.


Treasurer (nonpartisan): Samual A. Brentano is unopposed.


Polk County races

Commissioner, Position 3: Commissioner Jeremy Gordon, appointed in 2021, faces Polk County Treasurer Steve Milligan in a runoff after neither won a majority in the four-way May primary, the Statesman Journal reported. The race is nonpartisan.


Salem city races

City races are nonpartisan. Under Salem's charter, a candidate who wins more than 50% in May appears alone on the November ballot, Salem Reporter explains. That's why most Salem races have one name this fall.


  • Mayor: City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke is the only candidate. If she takes office in January, her Ward 7 council seat would become vacant and be filled in a special election, generally in May 2027, according to Salem Reporter.

  • Municipal judge: Eleanor C. Beatty, unopposed

  • Ward 2: Linda Nishioka, unopposed

  • Ward 4: Dave Inbody, unopposed

  • Ward 6: Betsy Vega, unopposed

  • Ward 8 (West Salem): Councilor Micki Varney and Chris Cummings meet in a runoff after neither won a majority in May, according to the Statesman Journal and Salem Reporter.


There are no city of Salem measures on the ballot.


Keizer city races

  • Mayor: Mayor Cathy Clark faces former City Councilor Amy Ryan Courser, the Statesman Journal reported. Salem Reporter has candidate profiles.

  • Council Position 4: Tammy Kunz, Chelsea Alionar and Maralee Fletchall

  • Council Position 5: Joseph W. Grant, unopposed

  • Council Position 6: Daniel R. Kohler and Colleen Busch


There are no Keizer measures on the ballot.


Statewide ballot measures

There are none this year. The Secretary of State's office confirms that no statewide measures are on the Nov. 3 ballot.


The one measure that had qualified, a referendum on parts of the 2025 transportation funding package, was moved to the May 19 primary by the Legislature (SB 1599). Voters rejected that measure, Measure 120, by a wide margin, OPB reported. The only initiative that turned in signatures for November, Initiative Petition 28 on animal cruelty laws, did not have enough valid signatures to qualify, the Secretary of State's office said.


Local measures

There are no Salem, Keizer or Salem-Keizer School District measures on the Nov. 3 ballot. Here are the measures elsewhere in Marion and Polk counties. The summaries come from the official ballot titles and explanatory statements in the county pamphlets. You'll only see a measure if you live in that district.


Polk County Measure 27-149: Fairgrounds and Event Center local option tax


A five-year property tax of up to 12 cents per $1,000 of assessed value starting in 2027-28, for operations, maintenance and improvements at the Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center. The county estimates it would cost $36 in the first year on a property assessed at $300,000 and raise about $5.47 million over five years, according to the Polk County ballot content report.


A yes vote approves the five-year tax. A no vote rejects it.


Monmouth Measure 27-150: Urban growth boundary land exchange


Would remove about 90 net acres south of the Falls City Highway from Monmouth's urban growth boundary and add about 75 net acres on Talmadge and Mistletoe roads, subject to approval by Polk County and the state.


A yes vote approves the exchange. A no vote rejects it.


Independence Measure 27-151: Community Services and Parks Fee


A referendum on Ordinance No. 1639, which would create a new city fee, set by the City Council, to fund the library, museum and parks.


A yes vote adopts the ordinance and creates the fee. A no vote does not adopt the ordinance and does not create the fee.


Silver Falls School District Measure 24-528: $87.04 million bond


Would replace Silverton Middle School, build a new rural K-8 school combining Pratum, Evergreen and Central Howell schools, and pay for repairs and security upgrades. Approval would also bring a $10.21 million state matching grant. The district estimates the bond would keep its tax rate at about $1.88 per $1,000 of assessed value, since its current bond is paid off in 2027.


A yes vote authorizes the bonds. A no vote means the bonds would not be issued and the district would not get the matching grant. No arguments in favor were filed in the county pamphlet. The Taxpayers Association of Oregon filed an argument against it, saying the debt is too large and that the district should come back with a smaller plan.


Mt. Angel Fire District Measure 24-526 and Mt. Angel-Monitor Fire District Measure 24-529: Fire district merger


Together with a separate measure to dissolve the Monitor Rural Fire Protection District, these would merge the Mt. Angel and Monitor fire districts into a new Mt. Angel-Monitor Fire District on Jan. 1, 2027, with a permanent tax rate of $1.97 per $1,000 of assessed value. That's higher than either district's current rate. The merger happens only if all three measures pass.


A yes vote on both supports the merger. A no vote keeps the two districts separate under their current tax rates. Arguments in favor, including from district volunteer firefighters, say a single district would add daytime staffing when volunteers are hardest to find. No arguments against were filed.


Stayton Fire District Measure 24-531: Local option levy


A five-year levy of $1.06 per $1,000 of assessed value starting in 2027-28, replacing the current levy to keep nine full-time firefighter/EMTs. The district estimates the cost at $212 a year on a property assessed at $200,000.


A yes vote keeps the funding. A no vote, according to the district's explanatory statement, would mean laying off those nine firefighters. No arguments against were filed.


Gates Rural Fire Protection District Measure 24-530: Levy renewal


Renews the current local option tax of about 90 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for four more years, through June 2031. A yes vote renews the levy. A no vote lets it expire. No arguments were filed.


Aurora Measure 24-525 and Silverton Measure 24-527: City charter updates


Aurora's measure would switch the city from a strong-mayor government to a council-manager system starting Jan. 1, 2027. Silverton's would update its charter, last amended in 1985, to match state law and the League of Oregon Cities model charter. A yes vote approves each change. A no vote keeps the current charter. No arguments were filed on either measure.


Where to learn more


Initial results will be posted shortly after 8 p.m. on Election Day, and counting continues until all ballots are in. Results aren't official until the election is certified in December.

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