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QuickTake:
Only about 14% of ballots have been returned so far. Voters in Springfield, Dunes City and two rural fire districts have measures to decide.
Correction: The link in this story originally led to an outdated list of ballot drop boxes in Lane County. The link has been corrected.
This story has been updated with ballot returns through Monday.
Voters in Springfield, Dunes City and two mostly rural Lane County fire districts still have time to return ballots in the Nov. 4 election.
And with about 20.9% turnout in the special election as of Monday, Nov. 3, tens of thousands of ballots are still outstanding.
Not all of the more than 280,000 registered voters in Lane County received ballots for the Nov. 4 election. The Lane County Elections Office says it mailed 86,657 ballots to voters in four jurisdictions, who will decide these issues:
- Springfield city officials are asking voters to renew a five-year local option levy that funds a fire station and increases its rate to reflect rising costs for materials, services and staffing. Voters approved the current levy in 2020 at a rate of 38 cents per $1,000 of assessed home value. Ballot Measure 20-371 would raise the rate to 58 cents for five years beginning July 1, 2026. It would replace the current levy rate, which expires June 30. About 44,400 ballots were mailed to Springfield voters; as of Monday afternoon, 8.036 ballots had been returned.
- Lane Fire Authority is asking voters to approve a five-year local option levy that will raise property taxes to pay for two full-time firefighters and medics and put staff living quarters at Station 109 on Spencer Creek Road. In all, the levy would total 55 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value, a 20-cent increase over the current rate. The Lane Fire Authority serves western Lane County. About 19,700 ballots were mailed to district voters; 4,776 have been returned.
- South Lane County Fire & Rescue is asking voters to replace its expiring operations levy with a higher one to keep pace with rising costs and emergency call volume. The proposed measure would double the current levy from 47 cents to 94 cents per $1,000 of assessed value beginning in fiscal year 2026-27. The fire district primarily serves southern Lane County; about 21,500 ballots were mailed and 4,776 have been returned.
- Dunes City voters face a proposal that would allow candidates for the City Council to qualify for the ballot by paying a $20 fee in lieu of collecting 20 signatures. The council voted Aug. 6 to place the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot, but did not make a recommendation on its merits. Because the proposal would amend the city’s charter, it requires voter approval. About 1,300 ballots were mailed; 543 have been returned.
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. Nov. 4, although mailed ballots postmarked by that date can be counted if they arrive at the county elections office within seven days.
At this point in the election, however, officials suggest voters use one of the county’s ballot drop boxes — especially because postmarks are no longer being applied locally as part of standard processing. If voters do have to mail the ballots, they might be able to ask a postal clerk to “hand-cancel” the ballot to ensure a timely postmark.
See a list of Lane County ballot drop boxes.
Remember to sign the ballot envelope. If the Lane County Elections Office receives a ballot with no signature — or if the signature cannot be matched to the signature on file — staff will reach out via mail with instructions on how to have the ballot “cured” and counted.
