Voter turnout in Baker & Union counties at around 40% as counting continues
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, May 23rd, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
NORTHEAST OREGON — Turnout surged on the last day voters could turn in their ballots in Baker and Union counties.
As of Wednesday evening, voter turnout in Baker County sat at 41%. The county had reported about a 30% turnout on election day morning, May 21.
In Union County, voter turnout was nearly identical to Baker, with 41% of ballots turned in as of Wednesday, May 22.
Before the election, the clerks of both counties told Elkhorn Media Group that 30-40% was pretty typical for a May election. They expect higher turnout this November in the general election, which also includes a presidential election.
Ballots continue to be counted as counties await further ballots to come in that were mailed late. Mail-in ballots are still accepted as long as they were postmarked on May 21. Final results may not be available until next week.
But many key races in the area look to have already been decided.
In Union County, the hotly contested and contentious race for Judge of the 10th District Court, Position 2, shows Jared Boyd remains firmly in command with a 61.7 percent lead over incumbent Wes Williams.
“I really appreciate the support and the trust of the public and I am excited to hit the ground running on January 1st. Thank you to everyone who voted for me,” said Boyd. “To anyone who did not vote for me it is my responsibility now to convince the public that the right choice was made and do the best possible job. I look forward to doing that over the next 6 years.”
In the nine-way race for Union County Commissioner Position 3, Mark Simmons and Jake Seavert will head into a runoff election in November. Simmons received 27.2 percent of the vote while Seavert received 18.9%.
In Baker County, Michelle Kaseberg continues to have a narrow lead over Curtis Martin for County Commissioner, Position 1. Kaseberg holds a 53.8% lead over Martin’s 46%. If Kaseberg continues to hold more than 50% of the vote, she’ll be declared the winner and won’t have to move to a November runoff election.
“I feel good and I’m ready to hit the ground running once the results are final,” said Kaseberg. “I feel that we stuck to the issues during this campaign and that there was no mud slinging. Curtis and I are aligned on several issues, so that made it easier to talk and we were congenial.”
Updated voting results for Baker County can be found here.
Updated voting results for Union County can be found here.
Updated statewide results can be found here.
