Current Election Information

May 16, 2023 Special District Election
The May 16, 2023 Special District Election is where board members for fire, water, school, park and recreation and a multitude of other districts are elected. In most cases, anyone who is registered to vote within a district boundary is eligible to run for office - see the District Definition and Qualification for Directors list below to see the qualifications. The positions that are open for filing this election are included in the Notice of Election of District Board Members.

Important Deadlines
Here is a quick reference to the important deadlines for the Special District election:
  • February 6, 2023 - First day to file Declaration of Candidacy
  • March 16, 2023 - Last day to file Declaration of Candidacy
  • March 16, 2023 - Last day to file or withdraw Notice of Measure election
  • March 31, 2023 - Military and overseas ballots are mailed
  • April 17, 2023 - Out of State ballots are mailed
  • April 25, 2023 - Last day to register to vote
  • April 26, 2023 - Main ballots are mailed
  • May 16, 2023 - ELECTION DAY. Ballots must be placed in a dropbox by 8 pm, or postmarked on or before election day.
  • May 23, 2023 - Last day to accept ballots by mail with valid postmark

Notice of Election of District Board Members
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, MAY 16, 2023, an election will be held for the purpose of electing board members to fill the following positions and terms, including any vacancy that may exist on boards of the following districts:

COLUMBIA GORGE EDUCATION SERVICE DISTRICT
ZONE #1                    (Wasco Co Precincts 2, 3, & 6)                         4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Stephanie A Ritchie
ZONE #3                   (Wasco Co Precincts 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12)          UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM        
ZONE 4 AT LARGE                                                                                UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:   Douglas Nelson
ZONE #5                    (Hood River Co Precincts 4, 6, 8,& 13)            4 YR TERM       Filed Candidates: Suze Nigl
ZONE #6                    (Hood River Co Precincts 1, 2, & 5)                 4 YR TERM

COLUMBIA GORGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Position #3                (Hood River Co)                            4 YR TERM       Filed Candidates:     Tim Arbogast
Position #4                (Hood River Co)                            4 YR TERM       Filed Candidates:    Laura A De la Torre
Position #6                (Hood River Co)                            4 YR TERM       Filed Candidates:     OraLee Branch

NORTH WASCO COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT #21
Zone #1                     (Precinct 5)                                     UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Adrian Lopez Katie Kuehnl
Zone #2                    (Precincts 1, 2, 6, & 7)                     4 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:     Dayna Wynn-Elledge
Zone #3                    (Portions of Precincts 1 & 6)         4 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:     David Jones
Zone #6                    (Portions of Precincts 2 & 3)         4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Jose Aparicio

DUFUR SCHOOL DISTRICT #29
Position #2               4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Tim Fain, Cynthia Kortge
Position #5               4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Janna Hage

SOUTH WASCO COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT #1
ZONE #2                  4 YR TERM        Filed Candidates:    Caralynn Delco
ZONE #4                 UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Gregory Wiedeman
ZONE #5                 4 YR TERM         Filed Candidates:    JC Udey
ZONE #7                 4 YR TERM         Filed Candidates:    Janine Belozer Justin Gotham
MID COLUMBIA FIRE AND RESCUE
Position #1              4YR TERM      Filed Candidates:    Diana Bailey
Position #3             4YR TERM      Filed Candidates:    David Peters ,Walter Denstedt
Position #5             4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Dick Schaffeld

MOSIER FIRE DISTRICT
Position #1        4 YR TERM        Filed Candidates:    Steve Fisher
Position #3        UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM       Filed Candidates: Robert Miller Kris McNall
Position #4        4 YR TERM        Filed Candidates:    Joanne Rubin
Position #5        4 YR TERM        Filed Candidates:    Carol Goter

COLUMBIA RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
Position #3        4 YR TERM
Position #4        4 YR TERM
Position #5        4 YR TERM

JUNIPER FLAT FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
Position #1         4 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:    Greg Campbell
Position #2        4 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:    Corrine Davis

TYGH VALLEY RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
Position #2        4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Daniel J Van Lehman
Position #3        4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Desirae Tarrance
Position #5        4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Marcia G Whitney

WAMIC RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
Position #1        4 YR TERM        Filed Candidates:    John M Ickes
Position #2        4 YR TERM        Filed Candidates:   John Creel

TOOLEY WATER DISTRICT
Position #3         4 YR TERM
Position #4         4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Amanda Valentine
Position #5         4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Debby Jones
TYGH VALLEY WATER DISTRICT
Position #1         4 YR TERM          Filed Candidates:    Dan P Jaffe
Position #2        4 YR TERM          Filed Candidates:    Wendy Martin
Position #3        4 YR TERM          Filed Candidates:    Eli Jamieson
Position #5        UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:    Nick Laflin

PINEGROVE WATER DISTRICT
Position #1        4 YR TERM
Position #2        4 YR TERM
Position #5        UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM

WAMIC WATER AND SANITARY AUTHORITY
Position #1        4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Jeff Burgener
Position #2        4 YR TERM
Position #3        UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM

PORT OF THE DALLES
Position #2        4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Greg Weast
Position #4        4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Staci Coburn
Position #5        4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Mary Hanlon

NORTHERN WASCO COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION DISTRICT
Position #2        4 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:   Stevie Elledge Kasey McCullough
Position #3        4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Brewster Whitmire

SOUTH WASCO COUNTY PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT
Position #1        4 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:    Dennis Zipprich
Position #2        UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:    Josh Thompson
Position #3        4 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:    David Deurwaarder
Position #5        4 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:    Kari Hansen

DUFUR RECREATION DISTRICT
Position #1        4 YR TERM      Filed Candidates:    Samantha Filbin
Position #3        4 YR TERM     Filed Candidates:   Vicki Vaughn
Position #5        UNEXPIRED 2 YR TERM:    Filed Candidates:   Lou Svoboda Tess Welk

WHITE RIVER HEALTH DISTRICT
Position #1        UNEXPIRED 2 YEAR TERM        Filed Candidates:    Allison Bechtol
Position #2        4 YR TERM       Filed Candidates:   Julie Whetzel
Position #4        4 YR TERM
Position #5        UNEXPIRED 2 YEAR TERM        Filed Candidates:    Melissa Napoli

The election will be conducted by mail.  Each Candidate for an office listed above must file a Declaration of Candidacy or Petition for Nomination for office with the Elections Department of Wasco County, Oregon not later than the 61st day before the date of the regular District Election. If you are filing by Petition, please call our office at 541-506-2530 for additional instructions,  The filing deadline is 5:00 P.M. on MARCH 16, 2023.

District Definition and Qualifications for Directors 
Community College 
  • A person shall be qualified to be a candidate for election to the board if the person is an elector who resides in the district. If the district is zoned and the position sought is one elected or nominated by zone, the person also must reside in the zone from which the person is nominated.
  • No person who is an employee of the community college district shall be eligible to serve as a member of the board for the district by which the employee is employed.
Education Service District 
  • A candidate must be qualified to vote in the election in which the individual is a candidate and must be qualified to hold office as a director of an education service district.
  • In education service districts, not fewer than five of the directors shall be elected, one from each of the zones At the discretion of the board of directors, one or two board members may be elected from the district at large.
Rural Fire Protection
  • A director of a district shall be an elector or an owner within the district. A district may determine, by ordinance that takes effect at least one year prior to the date of a regular district election, that firefighters of the district, volunteer or otherwise, and other district employees shall not serve as directors.
Health District
  • Shall be an elector of the district.
Park and Recreation
  • Shall be an elector of the district.
Port 
  • Shall be an elector of the district.
School  
  • A person who is an employee of a school district may not serve as a member of the district school board for the district by which the employee is employed.
  •  A candidate for school director must be an elector registered in the district. If the district is zoned and the candidate seeks nomination from a zone, the candidate also must be a resident of that zone.
  • No person shall be eligible to serve as director unless the person is an elector of the district and has resided therein for the period of one year immediately preceding the election or appointment.
Water
  •  Directors shall be owners of land within the district and subject to the current charges and assessments of the district. The directors need not reside within the district.
Sanitary Districts and Authorities; Water Authorities
  • A person is qualified to be a member of the board if the person is an elector of or owner in the district.
Measures
If your district plans to refer a measure to the ballot, information on the process is available in the County, City and District Referral Manual.

NOTICE OF MEASURE ELECTION

Measure 33-107 Dissolution of Columbia Rural Fire Protection District

Measure 33-108 Five Year Levy for General Funding Operations

If you have any election-related questions, call the Wasco County Clerk's Office at 541-506-2530 to receive an answer from a trusted source.