During this election, we voted for who our next president would be, but we also voted for local measures and candidates, which received much less attention. On the state level, a measure to make cannabis businesses neutral during labor discussions and a measure to give impeachment power to the Oregon legislature was passed by voters. On the county level, the primary counties that Barlow families voted in were Multnomah and Clackamas. In Multnomah CoTunty, a measure for a Park Rose property tax levy wasn’t passed. In Clackamas County, a bond renewal for Clackamas Community College and a bond for Oregon City School District were passed. Other than these measures, there were two notable house elections, Congressional District 3 and District 5
The first measure passed on the state level was Measure 115. Measure 115 amends the Oregon Constitution to grant the Oregon House of Representatives the power to impeach statewide elected officials in the executive branch and to grant the Oregon Senate the power to try any impeachment received from the House of Representatives. The power of our legislature to impeach officials was considered long overdue by many, as we are now the last state to grant this power to our legislature. The primary argument against this was that runoff elections are more democratic, but ultimately, voters chose to pass this measure and join the rest of the states in having this power.
The second measure passed on the state level was Measure 119. Measure 119 officially requires cannabis businesses to submit to the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission a signed labor peace agreement requiring them to remain neutral when labor organizations communicate with employees about collective bargaining rights with its licensure or renewal application. The argument for this is empowering workers’ rights and reducing harmful chemical risks and workplace accidents. The primary argument against this measure is that it would increase the price of labor and, therefore, make the black market more viable.
The only measure in Multnomah County, Measure 26-254, didn’t pass. Measure 26-254 would have been a 5-year property tax levy for the Parkrose school district, which would have added an estimated $1.25 per $1000 of assessed property value. Due to this measure failing, the school district estimates it will have a $1 to $3 million deficit over the next biennium. Likely due to voters not wanting increased property taxes and believing we couldn’t spare any more money, the measure didn’t pass.
The first measure passed in Clackamas County was Measure 3-613, a $120 million bond renewal for Clackamas Community College, which will maintain the existing tax rate of 25 cents per $1000 of estimated property value. The second measure passed was Measure 3-616. a $163 million bond for Oregon City School District with an estimated property tax rate of $1.20 per $1000 of estimated property value.
In the Barlow area, we had two notable elections, the first for the 3rd Congressional District. The 3rd Congressional District election was notable not because of its results but because of who the candidate for the Democratic party was. The representative for the past 28 years, Earl Blumenaur, is retiring, so somebody else ran for election. This led to a contentious primary in the Democrats between the moderate and progressive wings of the Oregon Democratic Party, with the moderate candidate Maxine Dexter winning the primary against the progressive Susheela Jayapal. This led to her unsurprisingly beating the Republican candidate in the general election, with Dexter winning 68.7% of the vote, Joanna Harbour, the Republican candidate, winning 25.2% of the vote, and third parties collectively getting 7% of the vote.
The other notable election was in the 5th Congressional District. The 5th Congressional District was a notable election due to the results, where the seat was once Republican but has now flipped to Democrat. The race was between Democrat Janelle Bynum, who gained 47.7% of the vote, Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who gained 45% of the vote, and Independent Brett Smith, who won 4.7% of the vote. This election is also significant because Janelle Bynum will officially be the first black member of Congress from Oregon.
