Central Oregon Candidate Forums and Sierra Club Election Information
Ballots will begin mailing out to Oregonians by October 16th!
Link to Oregon Sierra Club Election Endorsements with website links.
Enter your address to check your registration status, make a plan to vote, and see which Sierra Club endorsed candidates are on your ballot!
Find your districts for Federal Representative, State Senate, and State House here.
Environmental Town Hall with Senator Merkley, Sponsored by Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Thurs., Oct. 17th, 3:30 PM. Zoom webinar link will be shared a few days before the town hall. Click HERE to register.
Debates and Forums:
- Sept. 30, Oregon Senate District 27 Debate, Anthony Broadman (D), Michael Summers (R), video recording, League of Women Voters
- Oct. 7, Bend City Council Forum, 5:30pm-6:30pm: Position 1 & 3 candidates, 6:45-7:45pm: Position 2 & 4 candidates; video recording
- Oct. 8, Congressional District 5, Janelle Bynum-Lori Chavez-Deremer Debate, KOIN 6, video recording
- State Senate District 27, Bend City Counsel, LaPine City Counsel; 2024 General Election Candidate Forums Playlist, League of Women Voters of Deschutes County Oregon (sponsor), video recordings
- Oct. 10, Congressional District 5, Janelle Bynum-Lori Chavez-Deremer Debate, 6pm live on KTVZ television, KTVZ.com
- Oct. 10, Sisters City Council Candidate Forum, 6:00pm, Community Hall Camp Sherman Fire District, in-person event
- Oct. 15, Congressional District 5 on Central Oregon Daily, Janelle Bynum (D) and Lori Chavez-Deremer (R) Candidate Forum, 7pm on CBS
- Oct. 21, Redmond City Council and Mayor Forum, 5:30pm, High Desert Music Hall; 5:30-6:30pm: Council Candidates, 6:45-7:45pm: Mayoral Candidates; in-person event
November’s Statewide Measures:
115: Allow the Legislature to impeach elected state executives.
116: Establish the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission to determine certain public officials' salaries.
117: Establish ranked-choice voting for federal and state offices, which will give voters more voice and more choice in our elections. Sierra Club endorses 117. See other endorsers list. Read more.
118: Requires Oregon to issue rebates to residents from surplus corporate tax revenue.
119: Require cannabis businesses to submit to the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission a signed labor peace agreement between the business and a labor organization with its licensure or renewal application.
Seven Local Measures:
9-173: Expand Deschutes County Commission from three to five members.
9-174: Bonds To Increase Safety; Repair Schools; Expand Vocational Training Facilities (Redmond School District #2J)
9-175: Five-Year Local Option Tax for Park and Recreation Operations (Redmond Area Park & Recreation District)
9-176: Establish Permanent Tax Rate Limit (Deschutes Soil & Water Conservation District)
9-177: Advisory vote to allow marijuana dispensaries in the City of Redmond
9-178: Imposes a municipal tax on products sold by marijuana retailers. (City of Redmond)
9-179: Declaring A Two-Year Moratorium [sic] on Psilocybin Service Centers (City of Redmond)
Initiative Explanations:
Oregon Measure 115: Oregon is the only state that does not allow for impeachment of elected state executives. The grounds for impeachment would be for “malfeasance or corrupt conduct in office, willful neglect of statutory or constitutional duty or other felony or high crime.” It would require a ⅔ vote of the state House of Representatives to impeach and ⅔ vote of the state Senate to convict.
The Oregon Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court would preside over the trial in the Senate. The penalty upon conviction would be removal from office and disqualification from holding any other public office in the state. The official removed could still be subject to criminal or civil liability. Read more about this measure. There is no organized opposition to this measure.
Oregon Measure 116: Establishing the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission. Voting Yes on 116 supports creating an independent commission that sets the pay for statewide elected officials, including state legislators, the Governor, the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, the Attorney General, Oregon Supreme Court judges, and others. Nationwide, 22 states have established independent commissions to make salary decisions fair and impartial.
It is supported by Chief Justice Meagan Flynn, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the Democratic Party of Oregon, among others. Read the full text of Measure 116 here. There is no organized opposition to this measure.
Oregon Measure 117: RCV (Ranked Choice Voting) is pro democracy by increasing participation in elections as voters have more choices in candidates and their vote is more impactful. RCV means candidates will engage with voters across the spectrum to get first as well as second, third, or fourth choice votes. According to proponents, this has made for less contentious elections and better, more diverse representation. Proponents say RCV saves time and money by avoiding runoff elections which are costly and tend to have lower turnout which may result in a candidate voters overall don’t prefer. RCV means voters don’t need to worry about the spoiler effect, meaning they don’t need to vote for a candidate they don’t really like to avoid throwing away their vote or splitting the vote.
Oregon Measure 118: A "yes" vote supports increasing the corporate minimum tax on sales exceeding $25 million by 3%, removing the minimum tax cap, and distributing increased revenue to Oregon residents who spend more than 200 days in the state. A "no" vote opposes increasing the corporate minimum tax on sales exceeding $25 million by 3%, removing the minimum tax cap, and distributing increased revenue to Oregon residents who spend more than 200 days in the state. If passed, it would institute a 3% tax on a corporation's total sales in Oregon — everything above $25 million. That money would then be distributed equally among state residents, all ages and income levels, for an estimated $1,600 per person each year. If passed, it would tax the sales made by big businesses and send it to residents as a rebate. This controversial proposed measure is drawing major backlash from both sides of the aisle.
Oregon Measure 119: The Unionization of Cannabis Workers Initiative This measure is supported by the Democratic Party of Oregon and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 which is concerned about being able to organize to protect worker safety in cannabis businesses. Voting Yes on 119 supports requiring cannabis businesses to submit to the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission a signed labor peace agreement requiring the business to remain neutral when labor organizations communicate with employees about collective bargaining rights with its licensure or renewal application. Read the full text of Measure 119 here. There is no organized opposition to this measure.
Local Measure 9-173: This measure seeks to increase the number of Deschutes County Commissioners from 3 to 5. County Commissioner Phil Chang has shared his support for the expansion.
Local Measure 9-174: If passed, this Redmond school bond measure would authorize a continuation of the current property tax rate. It would fund health, safety, and security projects in Redmond School District Schools, preserve and maintain district facilities with building updates and energy efficient systems, address critical building repairs and expand space for Career and Technical Education at Redmond High School, and expand Tumalo Community School to return to a K-8 school.
Local Measure 9-175: (link) This measure supports Parks and Recreation in Redmond. If approved, it would authorize the Redmond Area Park and Recreation District to levy taxes to support the annual operating costs for new and existing services, support the operation of District facilities, and to expand programs for citizens of the District.
Local Measure 9-176: The Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District (DSWCD) If approved, the measure would provide a stable funding source for the district’s conservation projects and services across Deschutes County. DSWCD works to protect and enhance natural resources throughout Deschutes County. The proposed levy would be used to expand the district’s efforts in water conservation, wildfire risk reduction, and land restoration, among other initiatives. Our authority is to conserve and enhance the natural resources of the County, the only division of state government with this charge. Note that 6 cents per thousand is a tax of about $14 per year on the average home. Read more about this measure.
Local Measure 9-177: This measure is a non-binding recommendation to City Council whether to amend City Code to allow for licensing, regulating and taxing of marijuana dispensaries, retailers and related businesses within the jurisdiction of the City of Redmond. Read more about this measure.
Local Measure 9-178: This measure supports a municipal tax on products sold by marijuana retailers in Redmond.
Local Measure 9-179: This measure declares a two-year moratorium on psilocybin service centers in Redmond.