The number of eligible voters returning ballots for the May 20 special district election have been slow.
Based on numbers that are available on Benton County’s website, as of Friday afternoon, only 16.5% of the 60,804 ballots sent to voters in late April have been returned.
Ballots can still be mailed but must be postmarked by Election Day. Voters can also drop off their ballots at official drop boxes by 8 p.m. Tuesday. Locally, a drop box is located outside near the front entrance of Philomath Community Library at 1050 Applegate St. Ballots can be dropped off 24 hours a day.
Other drop boxes within a reasonable distance to Philomath include: Kalapuya Building, 4500 SW Research Way, Corvallis, in the rear of the parking lot; Oregon State’s Gill Coliseum at the corner of Ralph Miller Lane and South 26th Street; Lincoln Health Center, 121 SE Viewmont Ave., Corvallis, at the parking lot exit; and Corvallis Community Center, 2601 NW Tyler Ave., Corvallis, near the main entrance.
See a full list of ballot drop box sites online.
Compared to past special district elections, which occur in odd-numbered years, voter turnout countywide in the last four elections has ranged from 31.6% in 2019 to 40.8% in 2023. In the Philomath district, turnover in the last two special elections have lagged behind the county numbers at 28.9% in 2021 and 33.8% in 2023.
Turnout in presidential elections is always much higher. In the November general election, for example, turnout was 87.9% in Benton County and 83.3% in Philomath.
The county plans to release the first unofficial election results Tuesday shortly after 8 p.m. with an update at around 11 p.m. Another update on May 28 would include those that came in ahead of the postmark ballot return deadline.
The ballot for Philomath residents include six people running for the Philomath School Board — Tom Klipfel and Kerin Konkler for Position 1, Erin McMullen, Troy Muir and Todd Smith for Position 3, and Erin Gudge unopposed for Position 4.
Also on the Philomath ballot are three unopposed candidates for seats on the Philomath Fire and Rescue Board of Directors — Joe Brier (Position 1), Kenneth Corbin (Position 2) and Matt Kennedy (Position 3). Plus, Lori Greenfield is running unopposed for a director’s position on the Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District and John Sarna and Brad Longman are competing for a term on the Linn-Benton Community College’s board.
Outside of Philomath, there are three unopposed candidates for the Blodgett-Summit Rural Fire Protection District’s board — David King (Position 3), Mark Scacco (Position 4) and Andrew Burton (Position 5). On the Hoskins-Kings Valley Rural Fire Protection District’s board, Michael Rhoades (Position 3) and John Madsen (Position 4) are running unopposed with a third seat attracting no candidates.
The Hidden Valley Road District, which serves residents in the Hidden Valley Estates area near Wren, has two commissioner candidates running unopposed — Gail Goetzinger (Position 2) and Walter Ackermann (Position 3).
No measures appear on the ballot.