We’re closing in on Election Day 2026, so here's your guide to the key races and how to vote in the Portland area.
Table of Contents
How To Vote
Before we get into it, a word of advice: Don't panic! Despite all the mishugas about elections coming out of the federal administration, this is an ordinary election. Multnomah Elections ranked-choice voting project manager Leah Benson said county workers are standing by to count your ballot. We featured the news earlier this week that the federal government is sending election monitors, but that’s not a concern to the county, which hosts monitors all the time. You too could visit to watch the count — if you’re interested. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
- One change: Ranked choice voting is going countywide. So you’ll now get to rank the candidates for county chair and the commissioners. Treat the No. 1 ranking as your vote — with the additional choices as your backups, says Benson. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
- A tip: Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is telling voters to use only official ballot dropboxes at this point, instead of the mail — so you can be extra-sure your ballot is returned in time. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
- Once you return your ballot, use BallotTrax to track its progress and confirm receipt. [Oregon Secretary of State / Oregon Capital Chronicle]
Election Resources
Here are some resources for all of us to consult as we cast our ballots:
Voter Pamphlet: Every election, the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office sends us all a hefty resource. It might seem like homework to go through, but this is an open book test. You can still find it electronically if you’ve tossed yours: Here’s Multnomah County’s 64-page guide for state races. (If you live in another county, find yours here.) But you can also use it for local races — judges are pages 59 - 61.
While your paper guide arrives in one booklet, the local races are in another guide, which you can also find online — soil districts, for example, are on pages M71 - M76.
Newspaper endorsements: It’s always interesting to hear arguments made by editorial boards for the candidates and positions they endorse — whether you agree with them or not.
- You have Portland Mercury, whose endorsements skew to the left.
- The Oregonian is toward the Portland right — which isn’t to say they’re very conservative at all. They said they were disappointed to endorse Tina Kotek again, but skewered Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan’s silence on President Trump’s abuse of power. (Maybe they’re trying to live down their decision to forgo offering an endorsement in the presidential race back in 2016.) And they are more likely to endorse business friendly candidates over socialists, though City Councilor Angelita Morillo still got their nod.
- Willamette Week occupies the Portland middle; maybe they’re just a fan of being unpredictable. I found their endorsement in the Multnomah County chair’s race surprising: They're supporting Commissioner Shannon Singleton, even as a lot of institutional support lined up behind Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards.
- Election guides: As a public broadcaster, OPB can’t make endorsements, but they offer a guide to some of the races.
City Cast Candidate Interviews
Over the last couple months, the City Cast Portland podcast has interviewed candidates in some of the biggest races to help you decide.
- Governor’s race: Incumbent Democrat Tina Kotek is facing off (again) with state Sen. Christine Drazan for the state’s top job. We spoke to Kotek and Drazan about their priorities, asking Kotek why the heck she still wants this job, and Drazan whether a vote for her is a vote for Trump. [City Cast Portland / Instagram]
- County chair: Three candidates are vying to be Multnomah County chair, all with county council experience. We asked a series of lightning-round questions, including who they’d rank second on their own ballot for the position and where they would cut to fill budget gaps. [City Cast Portland / Instagram]
- City Council District 3: Twenty-one people (you read that right) hope to snag one of three seats in District 3. We interviewed six of them — those with the most individual campaign contributions — in two panels. While I recommend voters listen to both Round 1 and Round 2, we also posted lightning-round answers on the ‘gram. [City Cast Portland / Instagram]
- City Council District 4: There are a dozen candidates running to fill three seats in District 4. Similar to District 3, we spoke to six of them, three at a time, to learn where they stand on public safety, if Mayor Keith Wilson is doing a good job, and what should be done about the city’s CEI hub. Again, those lightning-round answers are on Instagram. Check out Round 1 and Round 2 on the podcast. [Instagram / City Cast Portland ]
- Portland’s ballot measure: In addition to choosing leaders, voters are being asked whether the city should create a participatory budgeting program via Measure 26-267. If approved, it would give Portlanders discretion over spending about $16 million annually. Specifics about how this program would be carried out are vague, and that seems to be intentional so Council has flexibility in implementation. [City Cast Portland ]
