Welcome to our 2022 midterm ballot bonanza! This election cycle will wrap up in just a few weeks, mercifully freeing us from further grimacing through unhinged political ads. The 2022 United States General Election is on November 8, 2022, and it’s coming to Portland!
While the deadline to register to vote in Oregon has passed (October 18 is long gone, I’m afraid 😕), and as we are primarily a mail-ballot state, we know you are anxious complete that ballot and drop it off! (Find your local drop box here!)
Cannot find your ballot? Never received it? Contact your local Elections office! How do you know if you’re registered to vote? Find out here.
We’ve put together some resources for Portlanders to reference when completing your ballot — don’t forget to check out the official and pretty awesome voter guide that the state has put together, too! After all, we ALL want to be informed voters, right?
Obviously we cannot cover everything, but we hope you find this useful. REMEMBER! Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Here’s what else you need to know:
Your 2022 candidates are…
🤺 Senate:
🏛Congress:
Don’t forget the exciting news — Oregon now has SIX Congressional districts. Following the 2020 Census, a sixth district was added, and it looks to be a hotly contested seat!
As the City of Portland is mostly confined to Multnomah County, the metro area is pretty much covered by District 1 & District 3, so that’s what we will cover for the National Congressional Candidates:
District 1
District 3
If you live in another District outside of Portland, then KGW has a great reference guide for you.
🌧 State Legislature
Sometimes there isn’t enough space to do the local State Senate and House races justice. Rather than list them all here, here is a great guide to the Oregon State Senate General Election for 2022 and the House of Representatives. You can always read more about the state legislature on their official website.
🛠 Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries
This is a non-partisan position that is currently vacant:
⚖️ Judge of the Court of Appeals
Position 10
Position 11
📜 Measures
Here, we have a breakdown of the statewide measures as well as a key one for Portland. You can thank the State Voters Guide for the detail. The League of Women Voters’ guide for Multnomah County has more detail on these and other amendments.
Measure 111, Right to Healthcare Amendment
Amends Constitution: State must ensure affordable healthcare access, balanced against requirement to fund schools, other essential services.
Result of “Yes” Vote
“Yes” vote requires the state to ensure affordable healthcare access. State must balance healthcare funding against funding for schools, other essential services; courts must respect balance.
Result of “No” Vote
“No” vote retains current law. The constitution does not require the state to ensure access to affordable health care; the state provides some healthcare access.
Measure 112, Remove Slavery as Punishment for Crime from Constitution Amendment
Amends Constitution: Removes language allowing slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime.
Result of “Yes” Vote
“Yes” vote amends constitution to remove language allowing slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime; allows programs to be ordered as part of sentencing.
Result of “No” Vote
“No” vote retains current language that generally prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude but allows slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime.
Measure 113, Exclusion from Re-election for Legislative Absenteeism Initiative
Amends Constitution: Legislators with ten unexcused absences from floor sessions disqualified from holding next term of office
Result of “Yes” Vote
“Yes” vote disqualifies legislators with ten unexcused absences from legislative floor sessions from holding office as legislator for a term following the current term of office.
Result of “No” Vote
“No” vote retains existing law. Absent legislators may be punished by the legislative chamber (potentially expelled by supermajority); present legislators have legal authority to compel attendance.
Measure 114, Changes to Firearm Ownership and Purchase Requirements Initiative
Requires permit to acquire firearms; police maintain permit/firearm database; criminally prohibits certain ammunition magazines
Result of “Yes” Vote
“Yes” vote requires background check, safety training, fee for permit to acquire firearms; state police maintain new permit/firearm database; criminally prohibits certain magazines; exceptions.
Result of “No” Vote
“No” vote retains current law: seller/ transferor must request criminal background check; permit, safety course not required; no magazine capacity restrictions.
Portland Community College, Oregon, Measure 26-224, Facilities Bond Measure
This measure is related to Portland Community College which is the largest in the state and would help raise $450 million for a program of modernization. Ballotpedia has a great explanation of a Yes & No vote:
A “yes” vote supports authorizing Portland Community College to issue $450 million in bonds to construct and renovate college facilities and dedicate revenues from the existing property tax ($38 per $100,000 of assessed value) to repay the bonds.
A “no” vote opposes authorizing Portland Community College to issue $450 million in bonds to construct and renovate college facilities.
There may be more Measures on your ballot – make sure to reference the State Guide for others not covered here.
📣Want more info?
Here are some great resources to get an even more detailed look!
- Ballotpedia offers a deep-end dive into each candidate’s history — particularly incumbents — and shares how they’ve voted previously, their stance on key issues, and more.
- Multnomah County has resources for Portland-specific voting information — who is running for office, important dates, how to register to vote, and education links.
- Vote411 is affiliated with the League of Women Voters Education Fund and is a “one-stop-shop” for election-related information. It provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information on aspects of the election process. Let Vote411 tell you who’s on your ballot and what their priorities are by entering your home address here.
Vote.org is a resource that uses technology to simplify political engagement, increase voter turnout, and strengthen American democracy. It has election tools, deadlines, dates, rules, and links.