deschutes county
OSP seeks witnesses to serious Highway 20 crash east of Bend
BEND, Ore. -- Oregon State Police troopers are looking for witnesses to a serious three-vehicle crash on Highway 20 that sent two people to the hospital by helicopter last Friday.
Tuesday, Jul 14, 2026
Central Oregon sees a drop in homelessness after years of steady rise
REDMOND, Ore. — Homelessness in Central Oregon is finally on a decline following years of steady increase, a milestone housing advocates, state lawmakers and Gov. Tina Kotek celebrated Monday.
Thursday, Jul 2, 2026
Proposed Deschutes County measure would elect commissioners by ranked-choice voting
BEND, Ore. – Nearly two years after Oregon and Deschutes County voters rejected a shift to ranked-choice voting, a new effort is underway to elect county commissioners in a similar manner that supporters say provides for fairer, more proportional representation for all voices, not just party favorites.A coalition that includes the Deschutes Defend Our Democracy Coalition, Common Cause Oregon and the Tribal Democracy Project announced Monday they are launching 'a new campaign toward fair elections and better representation in the county.'County election officials have cleared the way for vote signature collection to qualify a measure entitled 'Voices for All of Deschutes' for the ballot. They can take up to two years to gather the required 6,581 voter signatures, but are likely to shoot for an early August submission deadline, so it can make the November ballot.How It Would WorkIf the measure makes the ballot, it would share the fall ballot with a proposal county commissioners sent to voters on a split 2-1 vote earlier this year that would create five geographic districts, each represented by one of the commissioners under the voter-approved expansion from three to five board members.In November 2024, Oregon voters rejected a move to ranked-choice voting, Measure 11, 58 to 42 percent. That ratio was about the same for defeat of the measure by Deschutes County voters, who approved the board expansion from three to five members at that time.'Bring More Voices to the Table'Brian Smith of the Tribal Democracy Project said: 'Proportional representation through ranked choice voting would eliminate the possibility of gerrymanders and reduce money and corporate influence in our local politics, bring more voices to the table, allow ALL voters to have a say in who is elected to the commission.'Freddy Finney-Jordet, campaign manager for the Deschutes Defend Our Democracy Coalition, said: 'Our system needs a change, so we don't leave out entire groups of people. This initiative petition introduces proportional ranked choice voting for county commission races, which good government groups consider the gold standard of electoral systems for legislative bodies.'Supporters said they will host a campaign kick-off on Saturday, June 27th for local supporters to learn more and get involved.
Tuesday, Jun 16, 2026