Voters’ Pamphlets should arrive at every household in the county the week of October 10. The county pamphlet is generally inserted into the center of the state pamphlet.
Be part of our virtual call bank. Training provided each Monday and Tuesday.
Canvassing with Catherine! Co-canvassing opportunities across the county with Libra Forde, Hoa Nguyen, Raz Mason, Mark Gamba, Annessa Hartman, and Jamie McLeod-Skinner to build widespread voter support and turnout!
Join us! Speak up. Speak out. Get engaged… and VOTE across that ballot!
Thank you to local Oregon City, veteran-owned Imprinted Arts for the eye-catching Catherine McMullen for Clackamas County Clerk car WRAP! We are so appreciative of all of the work you’ve produced for the campaign.
Catherine McMullen, Candidate for Clackamas County Clerk, Receives Strong Union Support
West Linn, OR.–Catherine McMullen, a Clackamas County resident, AFSCME Local 88 member, and elections official is running against 20 year incumbent, Sherry Hall, with an overwhelming majority of unions backing McMullen.
“I have been a proud union member almost my entire professional life and I’ve always been grateful to have their support, first as a worker, and now as a candidate. The strength of unions depends on its members having a voice in our communities and fighting for what’s best for people and their families.” said McMullen.
To date, McMullen has gained endorsements from some of the region’s most well known unions including; AFSCME Local 350, UFCW Local 555, IBEW Local 48, Columbia Pacific Building and Construction Trades Council, and Northwest Oregon Labor Council AFL-CIO.
McMullen commented, “It is encouraging to have the support of unions and their people power behind my campaign. I cannot be more grateful and look forward to running a clerk’s office where elections are timely and accurate, people have equitable access to marriage services, and where employees are able to benefit from the advocacy and work unions do.”
You can learn more about McMullen’s campaign, get involved, or donate at ClackamasVoice.org
Today, August 23 is Election Day in Oregon City and Oak Lodge Water Services Authority
Today is Election Day for the August 23 Special Election where voters will decide Oregon City’s next mayor as well board members for the Oak Lodge Water Authority. The winner of the Oregon City mayoral race will finish out the end of Rachel Lyles-Smith’s term through the end of the year. In addition, voters who live in the Oak Lodge Water Services Authority District will be voting for five at large members to the board. Ballots from eligible voters must be postmarked by today or dropped off at an open Official Ballot Drop Site before 8 PM in order to be counted.
The next election for all other Clackamas County Voters will be the November 8 General Election to elect city, county, state, and federal offices.
Voters no doubt will recall the debacle in Clackamas County during the May Primary election when ballot barcodes were blurred at the printer and unreadable by voting machines. This resulted in an extra $600K spent and more than 6000 people hours to duplicate the blurred ballots and get election results completed in time for the June 13 certification deadline. This was largely due to a lack of strategic planning and response by the current clerk, Sherry Hall who will be up for re-election in the November General Election.
For the August 23 Special Election you can check the status of your ballot online at oregonvotes.gov/myvote and check that your ballot has been received. You can also observe the ballot counting process at the Clerk’s office or call the office at 503-655-8510 with questions.
If you make a mistake and need a new ballot, you can get one at the Clackamas County elections office at: 1710 Red Soils Ct. in Oregon City until 8 PM tonight.
Catherine McMullen, candidate for Clackamas County Clerk and certified elections administrator has prioritized voter education and election security, transparency, and accuracy in the 15 elections she has conducted. “I am an elections official and public servant focused on timely, accurate, and secure elections for our voters by ensuring that all citizens understand what their rights are, that they can vote, and make their voices heard.”
To prepare for the November 8 General Election, voters should check that their voter registration is accurate and up-to-date online at OregonVotes.gov/myvote. The Voter Registration Deadline is Tuesday, October 18 and ballots begin to be sent out the next day. Voters who will be away from home on Election Day can request an absentee ballot be mailed to their current location. Ballots going to Military and Overseas voters are mailed out by September 24 so now is a perfect time to make sure your information is correct.
You can learn more about Catherine McMullen’s campaign for County Clerk and sign up to Volunteer at: ClackamasVoice.org
We need your volunteer support, your voices, and your energy!
Catherine McMullen and volunteers talk to voters at CAReFREE Sunday in Milwaukie.
HIGHEST NEED: We start knocking on doors and talking voters on Friday. We’ll be engaging Oregon City voters and making sure they have the resources they need to vote in the August 23 Special Election. Sign up here!
Our 10,000 postcard campaign is going strong! We have distributed almost 4,000 postcards to volunteers. Sign up for a first or second pack today. And if you’ve already signed up, they are on their way! Sign up here!
Update on the August 23 Special Election. The special election for Oregon City Mayor and Oak Lodge Water Services Authority District members has been marred by errors, voter confusion, and drop site access issues.
Last week, voters began calling the clerk’s office asking why they had received voter information for candidates that were not on their ballots, as some Oregon City voters received voters’ pamphlet inserts for the wrong election. It has been reported that over 3,700 voters have been affected by this error. Others have questioned why only one candidate for Oregon City Mayor was included on the voters’ pamphlet inserted with the ballot but not others. Candidates on the ballot can choose to submit a voters’ pamphlet statement by paying a fee and then submitting that statement to the clerk by the posted deadline. In the Oregon City mayoral race, only one candidate, Denyse McGriff chose to submit a statement to voters. Because she was the only candidate that submitted a statement to the clerk by the deadline she is the only one included in the voters’ pamphlet.
Voters have also reported that only four Official Ballot Drop Sites are open for turning in ballots. While the two contests center in and around Oregon City and the Oak Grove area for the August 23 Special Election, some voting residents have gone to drop off their ballots only to discover their closest Official Ballot Drop Site at Milwaukie City Hall was closed.
The four Official Ballot Drop Sites available for ballot drop off this election are: Oregon City-City Hall, Gladstone Civic Center, Oak Grove Public Library, and the Clackamas County Elections Drive-up site. This information is available on the voters’ pamphlet insert and the county election website. Voters can also mail their ballots before Election Day. Ballots mailed must be postmarked on or before Election Day in order to count.
West Linn, OR.– In May 2022, the Clackamas County Primary Election was severely impacted by County Clerk, Sherry Hall and her mishandling of a ballot printing issue which resulted in over 6,700 additional people hours and $600K being spent to rectify the mistake. Several key local and federal races hung in limbo for weeks while the clerk scrambled to mitigate a preventable crisis.
Since Thursday, many voters are discovering that they have received the wrong voters’ pamphlet insert for the race on their ballot. Namely, in precinct 600, which encompasses areas of Historic Oregon City and the outskirts of Gladstone, around 3,800 households look to be impacted by this error.
The Oregon City mayoral race and the Oak Lodge Water Services Authority Board are the two races which are affected by the mistake. The current clerk is reporting that she is mailing new voters’ pamphlet inserts to all affected voters in precinct 600. If you discover you live within Oregon City limits and have received an insert with your ballot for the Oak Lodge race, you can also call the Clerk’s office at: 503-655-8510 and request a correct insert be mailed to you, or stop by the clerk’s office at: 1710 Red Soils Court, Suite 100 Oregon City, OR 97045 and get a correct insert. The correct insert is also available online.
Clerk Hall will be on the ballot for re-election in the November General Election. You can make an informed choice and vote for her challenger, Catherine McMullen to be our next Clackamas County Clerk. Catherine is a competent professional and an award winning election administrator who has more than 15 elections under her belt and is a former librarian.
You can learn more about Catherine McMullen’s campaign at: ClackamasVoice.org
Catherine McMullen is interviewed by Laural Porter on Straight Talk on August 4
Catherine McMullen interviewed on Straight Talk with Laural Porter
Catherine McMullen was recently interviewed by Laural Porter on Straight Talk on KGW. The interview will air on KGW Channel 8 tonight at 7PM, and then Saturday, August 6 and Sunday, August 7 at 6:30PM. Catherine discussed the importance of her campaign for County Clerk and how she’ll do things differently than the current clerk, MUCH differently. Tune in and reshare with your networks. It can also be viewed live on the KGW app and on KGW’s Youtube channel after it airs.
Make a Contribution! Ballots drop (are mailed to voters) beginning October 19 for the November 8 General Election. That means that we are mailing information about Catherine McMullen and this important contest to voters mid-October. We have just 10 weeks to raise funds for postage so that we can reach as many of Clackamas County’s 300,000+ voters as possible. That is A LOT of postage!
The Voter Registration Deadline is August 2, 2022 for the August 23 Special Election. Voters who live in the city of Oregon City will have a special election for Mayor due to the recent resignation of former Mayor Rachel Lyles-Smith. The winner will finish out the end of Lyles-Smith’s term through the end of the year. In addition, voters who live in the Oak Lodge Water Services Authority District will be voting for five at large members to the board. Ballots to eligible voters will be mailed out beginning August 3.
The next election for all other Clackamas County Voters will be the November 8 General Election to elect city, county, state, and federal offices.
You can make sure you are ready to vote in the August 23 Special Election by updating your information or registering to vote today. You can check your registration online at oregonvotes.gov/myvote and check that your name, mailing address, and residence address are correct. If you have moved since you last voted make sure that you check that your address is correct.
Any changes you need to make can be done online at oregonvotes.gov/register or by visiting your Clackamas County elections office before 5PM on August 2 at 1710 Red Soils Ct. in Oregon City. You can also mail a Oregon Voter Registration form but it must be postmarked on or before August 2 for any new voter registrations.
Catherine McMullen, candidate for Clackamas County Clerk and certified elections administrator has prioritized voter education and outreach in the 15 elections she has run. “I will be an elections clerk that provides access to our democracy by ensuring that all citizens who are eligible to vote, know exactly how and where to exercise their rights and that the infrastructure is there to support well-run and timely elections.”
You can learn more about Catherine McMullen’s campaign at: ClackamasVoice.org
Oregon City’s First City Celebration in July 2022
Vote By Mail Pro-tip: Sign up for Informed Delivery service from USPS and get a daily email with a digital preview of your mail and packages. Know when your ballot is on its way to you and when to make sure to check your mail box!
Consider serving your community by running for local office! The filing period is open for many municipal elected positions. There are elected positions currently open in cities throughout Clackamas County. You must file for office with the City Elections or Recorder’s office by 5 PM on August 30 (except for City of Canby – see below) for the November 8 General Election. Visit the website for your city to review details and qualifications.
November 8, 2022 General Election
The Voter Registration Deadline for this election is October 18. This is a statewide election, ballots will be mailed to voters October 19. Contests include state and local measures and city, county, and state candidates, including Governor of Oregon.
Catherine McMullen will be on the ballot, running for County Clerk. The County Clerk is the head election official for Clackamas County, ensuring that every eligible voter is able to vote in each election and that elections are accurate, transparent, and timely.
Open Positions in Clackamas County
Barlow – Contact the City directly at (503) 266-1330. No website.
Canby – Mayor and three City Council positions – Nomination papers will be accepted only through 4:30 p.m. on August 25, 2022. Contact the City Recorder – www.canbyoregon.gov/city-recorder/page/elections
Johnson City – Contact city staff by phone at 503-655-9710 or email johnson.city@comcast.net for information.
Lake Oswego – Three City Councilors – They will each serve four-year terms beginning January 1, 2023. Contact the City Recorder – www.ci.oswego.or.us/citymanager/elections
Milwaukie – Mayor and three City Council positions – Position 1 is on the ballot as a special election to fill a vacancy created by a Councilor resignation. Contact the city elections office – www.milwaukieoregon.gov/elections
Sandy – Mayor and three City Councilors – All Councilor terms are four years in length; the Mayor’s term is 2 years in length. Terms begin on January 1, 2023 and end on December 31 of the applicable year. Learn more on the city’s website – www.ci.sandy.or.us/administration/page/city-sandy-2022-elections
Register to Vote and Check Your Registration Information
If you are a resident of Oregon, citizen of the United States, and at least 16 years old you can register to vote! Register to vote online at oregonvotes.gov/register. Check your voter registration information today to make sure it is accurate and up-to-date.
Vote
Registered voters 18 years old or older are eligible to vote. Every election is important, especially local elections!
August 23, 2022 Special Election
If you live in the City of Oregon City or within the Oak Lodge Water Services Authority District you will have a Special Election on August 23, 2022. The Voter Registration Deadline for this election is August 2. Eligible voters within these jurisdictions will receive a ballot the week of August 3.
Oak Lodge Water Services Authority will elect five At-Large positions. Learn more at www.clackamas.us/elections.
I spoke with Tyler Francke in Canby for the Now Hear This podcast (taped June 12, aired June 13). I was featured in Episode 369: Finding a Voice:
“Canby Conversation: As a little girl, Catherine McMullen didn’t grow up dreaming of counting ballots for a living, but it became her passion anyway. A candidate for Clackamas County clerk in November, we talk what went wrong in this year’s primary. Not surprisingly, it’s a long conversation.”
Finally, this is a good OPB Politics Now conversation about the how and why of Oregon counties having appointed (9) or elected (27) clerks. No matter the governance structure it is important that Clerks are accountable to the public/voters AND qualified for the democracy-critical position of head election official.
I am a certified elections administrator with 18 years of public service experience (11 in public libraries, 7 in elections). I’ve been involved in all aspects of conducting 15 elections to-date AND am on the ballot in November. I declared last June and then filed for office in September 2021. I’m experienced and competent and the voters will get to decide in November if I’m the right person to bring trust and integrity back to our Clackamas County elections processes.
