Preliminary vote totals released by the Deschutes County elections office indicate that Measure 9-185, a ballot initiative to divide the county into five separate commissioner districts, is headed for defeat. Approximately 61,000 voters opposed the measure while about 38,000 voted in favor, according to KTVZ.
The proposal would have created five geographic seats on the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners: two representing Bend, one for South County, one for Redmond, and one covering northern Deschutes County, including Sisters.
Supporters of the measure, known as Map C, argued that districting would give residents outside of Bend greater representation and easier access to their commissioners. Opponents countered that the proposed boundaries were drawn to give a partisan advantage to one political party.
County Clerk Steve Dennison emphasized that any change to the commissioner election system must be approved by voters. “One way to have that change be put in place is for somebody to circulate an initiative petition or a group to organize an initiative petition to have that question put in front of the voters,” Dennison said.
Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang expressed mixed feelings about the vote. While he supports districting in principle, he opposed Measure 9-185 because of concerns over the map and the process used to create it. “They used the wrong numbers,” Chang said. “In my opinion, it was designed to create a disproportionate partisan advantage in elections. So I’m sad because I do believe in districts and principle, but I wish we had sent the voters a good proposal.”
Chang noted that previous attempts to district the county have failed, referencing a 2006 ballot measure that was rejected as part of a home‑rule charter proposal. He said the current effort suffered similar procedural flaws, adding, “There were a lot of problems with the process that produced this measure… it did not give people an opportunity to consider different district structures.”
Despite the apparent defeat, Chang indicated he will continue working on a future districting proposal that offers multiple options and distinct district layouts for voters to consider.
What’s next: County officials will certify the final vote totals in the coming weeks. If the measure is officially rejected, commissioners may choose to draft a new districting plan for a future ballot, or residents could launch a grassroots petition drive to place a revised initiative before voters, as suggested by Clerk Dennison.
Sources: ktvz.com
