Deschutes County currently has a 3 member board that oversees issues like setting the budget for county programs, creating and overseeing regulations like urban growth boundaries and building codes, and various other regional and community efforts.

The board meets several times a month to decide on important community issues. The commissioners are in charge of the budget for many county programs you may be familiar with, including the Sheriff’s Office, 9-1-1, the road department, behavioral/mental health, and a slew of programs that fall under the Public Health blanket- including health inspectors, WIC, nurse home visiting programs, and countless community outreach programs. Many of our community members rely upon the low or no-cost services provided by these programs.

First, some background context.

In recent years, the voters passed measures to expand the board from 3 members to 5 members, and to make this a non-partisan office. The seat Maddie is running for – seat 4- is one of the newly created seats expanding the board to have better community representation. This year, in addition to the two new seats – 4 and 5- seats 1 and 3 are also up for re-election. We have never had 4 seats up for election at the same time, so the commissioner race is very busy and exciting this year! Seats 1 and 3 will be re-elected for a 4 year term as usual. The new seats will be elected for a 2 year term and will be up for re-election again in 2028, and at that point will transfer to a 4 year term. We will all vote first on May 19, 2026. If any candidate earns more than 50% of the vote, that person will win their seat and their race is ended. Seats that do not have any candidate over that 50% threshold will continue on to the November 2026 general election.

The fact that this is now a non-partisan office also helps with democratically electing the people who decide how to spend our tax revenue. Oregon has a closed primary system, so previously only registered republicans or registered democrats had county commissioners on their ballots. The largest voting block in Deschutes County is unaffiliated voters, and previously this very large demographic did not have a chance to vote for this important office. Now that the board of commissioners is a non partisan office, every registered voter in Deschutes County will have every candidate for this important office on their ballot.


Why should we put Maddie on this board?

This position is best filled by someone who is a life long public servant, someone who understands the work that is being done, and the people who rely on these services. This position does not need another politician or someone representing large corporate interests. We need someone on the board who has direct experience working with these programs and the community members who use them. Maddie is that person. She knows what needs to be done to protect our vulnerable population, and what players are in a position to provide those services. She brings considerable experience and representation to the table. Maddie will fight for you because its what she has been doing for her entire career. Lets get out the vote in May and put her in her seat!