QuickTake:

Incumbents on the Eugene School Board held big leads over challengers in early election returns Tuesday. Turnout was light.

Three incumbents on the 4J Eugene School Board won reelection in Tuesday’s election.

Turnout was light in Lane County, with just 21% of registered voters returning ballots. That percentage could increase as ballots arrive at the Lane County Elections Office; ballots that are postmarked by Tuesday and arrive at the office within seven days after Election Day will be counted.

Here are unofficial election results from the Oregon Secretary of State as of 4 p.m. Thursday.

Position 2

In the three-way race for the board’s Position 2 seat, incumbent Ericka Thessen, a physical therapist at PeaceHealth RiverBend Hospital, collected more than 84% of the vote to claim victory against a pair of challengers, Danny McDiarmid, a child support case manager for the Oregon Department of Justice, and Alan Madden. Thessen was appointed to the board in October 2023.

  • Ericka Thessen: 20,027 (84.5%)
  • Danny McDiarmid: 2,195 (9.3%)
  • Alan Madden: 1,366 (5.8%)

Position 3:

In a two-way race, incumbent Judy Newman, the co-founder of Early Childhood CARES, defeated challenger Donald Easton, a faculty member at Lane Community College, to win her third four-year term on the board.

  • Judy Newman: 17,156 (68.35%)
  • Donald Easton: 7,885 (31.4%)

Position 6:

In Position 6, Maya Rabasa, a former educator with two decades of teaching experience, won reelection to her second four-year term. Rabasa was running unopposed.

  • Maya Rabasa: 19,391 (98.1%)