LOC News
May Election – Preliminary Results Report
The primary election occurred this Tuesday, with more than 100 measures on the ballot impacting local governments.
Voter turnout in May elections is historically low, typically less than 30%, but initial returns show nearly 38% of voters returned their ballot in this election. This could be attributed to contested primaries for governor, state senators, state representatives, and more, as well as Measure 120’s presence on the ballot. Mailed ballots are expected to trickle into county clerks in the coming days.
This cycle’s election saw the majority of local measures impacting special districts (47), followed by cities (35). These measures were more likely to pass (74% and 73%, respectively) than measures proposed by counties and counties (44% and 50%, respectively).
When considering only measures impacting levies, bonds, and other tax items, the general trend noted above does not hold. While more than 70% of special districts' measures passed, measures brought by other local governments (and the state’s Measure 120) fared worse, with less than one-half of those measures being approved by voters. In addition, the state’s transportation tax measure failed by a significant margin; voters rejected increases to the state’s gas tax, car registration fees, and the payroll tax that funds transit across the state.
These results align with recent polling regarding Metro region voters’ opinions and the general understanding that cost of living and taxes are a rising concern for voters. The LOC, as directed by its board of directors, is working on public education efforts to help cities explain the financial constraints facing local governments. We look forward to sharing more about this work at our 101st Annual Conference in October.
More details on the local government measure outcomes are available in our election report.
Contact: Nicole Stingh, Legislative Director – nstingh@orcities.org, Meghyn Fahndrich, Legal Assistant – mfahndrich@orcities.org
Last Updated 5/22/25