Every year in the U.S., Election Day is held “the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November.” The 2025 election day took place on November 4. On Election Day, general elections are held for federal, state, and local public offices.
Local offices typically hold elections a couple of times a year, but have elections annually on Election Day. All throughout Oregon, individual counties voted on different measures. On election day in Multnomah County, voters had two measures to vote for or against.
One was Measure 26-260, which protects and maintains safe parks, nature, and recreational spaces. Multco.us describes this ballot measure: “Should Portland maintain parks, recreation, and fund repairs; five-year levy $1.40 per $1,000 assessed value beginning 2026-2027? This measure may cause property taxes to increase more than three percent.” It also says that this measure “would allow the City of Portland to levy $1.40 per $1,000 assessed value for five years to operate the parks and recreation system, replacing and increasing the rate of the current $0.80 per $1,000 assessed value levy that expires after fiscal year 2025-2026. Within the $1.40 per $1,000 assessed value levy, $1.37 will be for park and recreation operations, and $0.03 will be for capital projects. Services and programs are planned to include, but are not limited to: -Fix park playgrounds, pools, and splash pads, restrooms, and other facilities in need of critical repairs.” It then clarifies that the levy will still continue to offer its previous services, like daily restroom cleaning & trash pickup, as well as other regular maintenance. 56.04% voted in favor of this measure.
The other measure on the ballot this year was Measure 3-628, “This measure is expected to maintain the current estimated Lake Oswego School District bond levy rate and authorizes $245 million in principal amount of bonds to finance capital costs,” according to multco.us. Some of the capital costs mentioned to improve schools in the district were updating safety systems, improving aging facilities, and creating modern learning environments. 71.64% voted yes for this measure.
Throughout the U.S., different countries voted on measures and even public offices. This Election Day included the mayoral election in New York City. This particular mayoral election was an event that people all over the nation were invested in. The men running for mayor in New York City were Curtis Silwa, Andrew Cuomo, and Zorhan Mamdani. Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Party, won this election. “In New York City, young voters (ages 18-29) provided Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani with overwhelming support toward his historic victory. According to exit polls, 75% of youth voted for Mamdani, compared to 19% for former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and 5% for Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani won the three-way race with 50% of the overall vote; young people were his strongest supporters out of all age groups,” says circle.tufts.edu. A few of his new policies for the city are “They include a plan to create New York City’s first universal childcare program, making city buses free, and freezing the rent for 1 million rent-stabilized tenants in the city. He has also proposed a tax on the city’s wealthiest residents and an increase in the city’s corporate tax rate to pay for his policy ideas,” according to CNN.
