Local Election Overview

By: Hasina Wittenberg, Legislative Director

Oregon’s May 2026 primary election featured more than 100 local government measures statewide, with voter turnout reaching approximately 41% — significantly higher than a typical May election and well above historical May turnout averages.

Special districts accounted for the largest share of local government measures on the ballot this cycle, with 47 measures submitted statewide. Approximately 74% of those measures passed. Cities placed 35 measures before voters and saw a similar overall passage rate of roughly 73%. Counties referred 9 measures with a 56% passage rate, while school districts placed 10 measures on the ballot, splitting evenly with a 50% approval rate.

The following table summarizes the number of local government measures referred to voters during the May 2026 election cycle and their overall passage rates by government type:

 

The more meaningful divide emerged when examining the types of measures succeeding with voters. Revenue and operations measures tied to direct service delivery — particularly fire protection, emergency response, transportation operations, and infrastructure maintenance — generally performed well at the district level. By contrast, broader statewide and general governmental tax proposals faced substantially greater resistance.

The clearest example was the statewide rejection of Measure 120, the transportation funding referral that would have increased gas taxes, title and registration fees, and transit payroll taxes. The results suggest Oregon voters continue distinguishing between localized operational funding tied to visible community services and broader statewide revenue increases occurring amid ongoing affordability concerns.

A full summary of local election results can be found here:

• Library and Park Measures
• Public Safety Measures
• Local Misc Measures
• Local School Measures