A volunteer puts a ballot into a ballot box at a drive-thru drop off spot in Salem, Ore., on May 18, 2026.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
It’s election day, and Oregonians are primed to vote on everything from school bonds to fire districts to the state’s new labor boss.
Oregon has closed primaries. That means voters will nominate their major party candidates for the November election, like those vying this year for U.S. representative and governor. All voters will receive ballots for nonpartisan races and ballot measures.
Related: OPB Ballot Guide: Learn more about the key races and measures in Tuesday's primary
Among the measures is a controversial proposal to fund road and bridge maintenance statewide, Measure 120. But with gas prices soaring due to the war in Iran, Oregonians are already feeling the pinch.
“As someone who has to drive every day for work, it’s almost suffocating,” John Jozic, of West Linn, said Sunday while filling up his tank at the Space Age gas station on 17th Avenue in Portland. He was unsure how he’d vote on the measure, which includes new taxes, but said he sometimes paid more than $60 to fill up the tank for his commute, an hour in each direction.
“If you drive as much as I do, you see a lot of things wrong with the roads still, so you want to give them more funding,” he said. “But at the same time, there’s a lot of things that don’t seem to get fixed that quickly.”
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s primary election:
When do I need to turn in my ballot?
Voters have until 8 p.m. to submit their ballot at local dropboxes or county election offices. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by 8 p.m. Tuesday and received by May 26 to be counted.
Who’s running for governor?
The Republican gubernatorial primary is the top race this week.
Sen. Christine Drazan, one of Oregon’s most influential Republican lawmakers, is back in the race after losing to Gov. Tina Kotek in 2022. So is Chris Dudley, the former Portland Trail Blazer who, in 2010, came closer than any Republican in decades to earning the job as the state’s top executive.
The crowded field also includes Ed Diehl, a two-term Republican state representative from Scio, who is campaigning on his efforts to gather signatures to stop the gas tax. Danielle Bethell, a county commissioner in Marion County, is also running.
Whoever wins will take on Kotek, a Democrat who is not facing a serious challenger, in the November election. With Democrats expected to turn out en masse for the midterm, they’ll face headwinds in Oregon, which has not had a Republican governor since the 1980s.
Volunteers Karen Arabas, left, and Diane Roth collects ballots after they go through a processing machine at the Marion County Clerk's office in Salem, Ore., on May 18, 2026.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
What’s Measure 120?
Oregon lawmakers have been trying for nearly two years to find solutions to the state’s road funding woes. Transportation leaders say they need more money to maintain the state’s aging infrastructure.
State Democrats passed a bill in a special session last fall with a slate of new taxes and fees to fund the system. Then, Republicans gathered enough signatures to refer that law to voters, who they expect will reject it due to the high cost of living.
Measure 120 seeks to raise the state’s gas tax by six cents, double registration and titling fees and temporarily hike a payroll tax to pay for public transit. The proposal is widely expected to fail. No prominent Oregon leaders are campaigning to save it.
Who’s running for labor commissioner?
Two people are vying to be the nonpartisan boss of the Bureau of Labor and Industries, or BOLI, which helps uphold Oregon’s labor laws. Incumbent Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson, who was elected in 2022, is facing Chris Lynch, who previously worked at BOLI and the Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
What local races are on deck?
A slew of candidates are jockeying for jobs serving their local communities. Homelessness, affordability and immigration are top issues underscoring races all the way from Bend to Salem to Pendleton.
County commission seats are up for grabs in Washington and Clackamas counties, two of Oregon’s most heavily populated areas. So are four positions on the Metro board, including president. The agency oversees a variety of issues — transportation, homelessness, land use — in the tri-county region that encompasses Portland and its surrounding suburbs.
Meanwhile, four of the eight Salem city council positions are up for grabs, but the most high-profile contest is the race for mayor. Incumbent Julie Hoy, a restaurant owner who won in 2024, is facing a challenge from Vanessa Nordyke, a city councilor and lawyer.
