Elections: There are a lot of them this year! That’s especially true in Oregon, where our vote by mail elections are pandemic-proof.
One election you might not have seen coming is the August 11 special runoff for a Portland City Council seat. Today, July 21, is the last day to register to vote in that election—so if you’ve recently moved or aren’t yet registered, take a few minutes to register right now.
Confused as to why we have this special election sandwiched between the May primary and November general election? Well, this race is to replace the late Commissioner Nick Fish, who died in January while still in office. The winner of this runoff will serve out the remainder of Fish’s term—and because the seat has already been vacant for months now, the city needs to fill it before the November general election.
The candidates for this runoff election have been narrowed down to Dan Ryan, a former Portland Public Schools board member and nonprofit leader; and Loretta Smith, a former Multnomah County commissioner. You can keep your eyes peeled for the Mercury’s endorsement pick for this race very, very soon! And ballots will start being mailed out tomorrow.
Until then, make sure you’re properly registered to vote at the right address.
Today is the deadline to register if you’re new to Oregon. If you’re only changing your address, you can do that up until 8pm on Election Day and still vote.