The upcoming primary

The League of Women Voters of Lane County (LWVLC) wants to help you prepare for the primary election coming soon on May 19, 2026. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that is dedicated to helping voters become informed about and actively participate in government. 

The League does not support or oppose any political party or candidate. However, the League does advocate for important social policy issues but only after rigorous study and a consensus building review by members.

As you plan your voting strategy, you may be interested in quickly locating reliable information and the website of the League of Women Voters Lane County, lwvlc.org, has information about the candidates and ballot measures that you will see on your ballot.

Candidate forums: A list of the candidate forums is given on the league website with their dates and locations. This includes candidates for the East Lane County Commissioner. If you are not able to attend the candidate forums in person, the website also has information for the links to the recordings of the candidate forums.

Ballot measure explanations: There are 11 ballot measures on ballots in Lane County, but you will probably only be interested in the state-wide Measure 120, Oregon Transportation Bill, two Lane County-wide measures, 20-373, the Watershed Bill of Rights and 20-381, Lane County 4-H Youth and OSU Extension Programs. Measure 120 increases the tax on gas and on vehicle registration and title fees to raise revenue to maintain current services and help local governments to maintain streets and roads. There are two ballot measures affecting Lane County, Measure 20-373 establishes a watersheds bill of rights, to give watersheds legal protections and provide local enforcement for watersheds and access to clean, safe water. Measure 20-381 requests additional funding to support programs such as the Master Gardener program and adds new programming to expand youth educational programs.

There are explanations on the website which describe why the ballot measure is asking for your support, the history of the measure and how much it will cost you. If you are more interested in viewing the explanations, we have videos of those explanations.

This begins to look like a lot of work, but the League of Women Voters has you covered. If you are interested in finding information in one place, the League of Women Voters produces a digital voting guide called Vote411 (Vote411.org). Vote411 offers “one-stop shopping” for both candidates and issues on your ballot.  Enter your address and a customized set of information relevant to your location is created. All candidates, including those for East Lane County Commissioner, have been asked to respond to questions from the League; names and associated statements, if provided, for those running in the election will be listed. There is an exception in closed primary states, like Oregon. If you are not registered with a political party (referred to as non-affiliated) then you will not be able to participate in any of the partisan primary elections and will not receive information for those races. See below for how to register to vote in these races.

Vote411 also has explanations of ballot measures, including the background of the measure, predicted cost, and statements by supporters and opponents.

You can register to vote online through Vote411, OregonVotes.gov or with Lane County Elections. Register or re-register to vote before the April 28 at midnight deadline on-line. If you want to vote in a partisan election, like for US senator or Oregon House of Representatives, you will need to go to Oregonvotes.gov to add the party registration to your current registration. If your mailing address has changed, you can also update it on OregonVotes.gov.

Important notice: Because of changes in the post office, mail is not longer postmarked locally. This means that if you mail your ballot on Election Day, May 19, it will almost certainly not be postmarked on that day. The League of Women Voters is encouraging you to mail your ballot at least a week before Election Day. You can also put your ballot in an official Elections Drop Box, but the closest ones are in Springfield, at Splash! At Lively Park or the Springfield City Hall.

The League of Women Voters of Lane County