The area that is up for annexation. Photo: city of Banks
Rumors that an annexation measure for voters in the city of Banks has appeared on the ballot for registered voters outside of city limits could not be verified by the Washington County Elections office, according to Washington County spokesperson Lisa DuPre’.
One caller did contact the Washington County Elections office with a list of names that did not have the measure on their ballot, but all of them were voters outside of city limits, according to DuPre’.
Voters outside of city limits are in unincorporated Washington County, and are not subject to city taxes, city ordinances, or city rules, and thus, do not vote on city measures or city candidates, as they do not reside in that jurisdiction.
The measure does appear in the county voters’ pamphlet, as do measures and elections for every jurisdiction in the county, as the county generally prints only one voters’ pamphlet for all Washington County residents.
For example, voters in Banks will note that the 80-page pamphlet includes city council races for the city of Tualatin, or Forest Grove, or a Metro bond that only those residing in the bounds of Portland Metro will vote on.
Measure 34-303 would annex 1.03 acres of land surrounded by the city of Banks. The land on the ballot is the back 30 feet of 21 lots on the western edge of city limits. According to the city, they were left off the city’s map in an annexation initiated by property owners that took place in 2017.
“The Elections office has seen no evidence that there were voters in unincorporated Washington County who had the measure on their ballots,” DuPre’ said in an email to the Banks Post.
“If any voter believes their ballot was incorrect related to Banks Measure 34-303, they should contact the Elections Office at 503-846-5800 or email to [email protected],” DuPre’ said.
Residents can also check if they reside within city limits by visiting gisims.co.washington.or.us/gis and inputting their address.
Washington County voters have turned in 151,231 ballots as of Monday morning, representing 39.2% of eligible voters.
Statewide, the office of the Oregon Secretary of State updated totals at 8:50 a.m. Monday, October 26 to show that turnout in Oregon sits at 1,188,824 ballots returned out of the nearly 2.95 million eligible voters, for a total turnout of 40.3% thus far.
Broken down by the four largest registered voting groups, Washington County has 148,764 eligible Democrats, of which 76,633 have voted so far for a total turnout of 51.51%; 129,363 non-affiliated voters, of which 34,534 have voted, for a turnout of 26.7%, 83,816 Republicans; of which 31,474 have voted for a turnout of 37.55%, and 16,959 Independents, of which 6,510 have voted for a turnout of 38.39%.
Those who have turned in a ballot and are seeking to find out if it has been received by the county elections department should visit Oregonvotes.gov to check the status of their ballot, though it can take between 48 and 72 hours from when a ballot is dropped off at a ballot box — perhaps longer for ballots mailed — to appear in the system.
The recommended deadline to mail a completed ballot through the United States Postal Service is tomorrow, Tuesday, October 27, and all ballots mailed must be received before 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Oregon does not accept ballots that are received after that time.
After Oct. 27, ballots should be dropped off at one of the county’s 21 official ballot drop sites or delivered directly to the Washington County Elections office before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3.
The Washington County Elections office is located at 2925 NE Aloclek Drive, Suite 170, Hillsboro, OR 97124-7523.
Washington County’s 21 ballot drop sites will close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, with early results announced by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office shortly after.
If you are a resident of unincorporated Washington County and believe you have measure 34-303 on your ballot, please contact us at [email protected].
This article has been updated for clarity.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
