November 2022 Election Information

The City Elections Officer acknowledges receipt of the Certified Abstract of Votes verifying Council elections and passing of Measure 16-102 from the Jefferson County Clerk (see Supporting Documents below).

CITY COUNCIL ELECTION INFORMATION

In order to serve on the Madras City Council, applicants are required to be a Jefferson County registered voter and have lived within Madras city limits prior to November 7, 2021. If you meet those requirements and want to use your knowledge and experience to volunteer on the Madras City Council, please read the Guide for Prospective City Elected Officials published by the League of Oregon Cities. This short publication provides a good overview for people interested in serving on a city council. The Candidate Manual produced by the Secretary of State is included at the bottom of this page to help guide you through the process.

All the election forms referenced herein can be downloaded at the bottom of this page for your convenience and paper copies are available at City Hall. You are welcome and encouraged to attend Council meetings in order to understand how the meetings work, what the Council does, etc. The City Council web page also has information that will help you understand the expectations and functions of the Council. There is also an example of how to complete the SEL 102 and SEL 121 included at the bottom of this page.

UPCOMING POSITIONS ON THE NOVEMBER 8, 2022 BALLOT:

Mayor (one position; two-year term)
City Councilor (three positions; four-year terms)

Candidates receiving the highest number of votes on the ballot will fill the positions.

Updated 10-11-2022 @ 3:36 PM

current applicants/candidates:

Note: All persons are considered "Applicants" until they have submitted the required amount of signatures and those signatures have been verified by the County Clerk. Once this requirement has been met and all the required forms have been completed and approved, then their status changes to "Candidate."

MAYOR: (Link to October 10, 2022 Mayoral Candidate Forum)

Austin Throop, Candidate
Status: Application submitted and verified; signature requirements met; qualified for the ballot.
Mike Lepin, Candidate
Status: Application submitted and verified; signature requirements met; qualified for the ballot.
Brad Johnston, Candidate
Status: Application submitted and verified; signature requirements met; qualified for the ballot.
Travis Montgomery, Candidate
Status: Application submitted and verified; signature requirements met; qualified for the ballot.
Bill Atherton, Candidate
Status: Application submitted and verified; signature requirements met; qualified for the ballot.

COUNCIL SEATS:

Lamar Yoder, Candidate (Incumbent)
Status: Application submitted and verified; signature requirements met; qualified for the ballot.
Mike Seibold, Candidate(Incumbent)
Status: Application submitted and verified; signature requirements met; qualified for the ballot.
Patricia Spencer, Candidate
Status: Application submitted and verified; signature requirements met; qualified for the ballot.

IMPORTANT DATES:

June 1, 2022 – Candidates can begin submitting Candidate Filing forms. We will NOT receive applications prior to this date.
August 23, 2022 – Deadline for submitting SEL 121 signature sheets and SEL 338. (Note that this deadline allows time for the County Clerk to verify signatures and provides time for the candidate to collect additional signatures if necessary).
September 2, 2022 - deadline to withdraw candidacy.
November 8, 2022 - General Election

Forms can be downloaded (see below) or picked up at City Hall, 125 SW "E" Street, Madras.
The City of Madras does not charge a fee for filing.

STEP 1:

Beginning June 1, 2022, you may submit a completed Candidate Filing Form (SEL 101) AND a Candidate Signature Sheet – Nonpartisan (SEL 121-submit with just your information and your signature) to the City Elections Officer at Madras City Hall, 125 SW “E” Street in Madras.
- Please keep a copy for your records.
- For help filing out these forms correctly, see the example document below.

STEP 2:

Once your eligibility has been verified by the City Elections Officer, you will receive a letter notifying you that you are approved to begin collecting signatures.
- Do not begin collecting signatures without the this letter of approval.
Using SEL 121 forms, you must obtain a minimum of 20 signatures of registered voters who reside within Madras City limits.
- While 20 valid signatures are what is required, it is recommended that you gather a few more in case some are deemed invalid (the signer is not registered to vote, resides outside City limits, etc.).

STEP 3:

Submit your completed signature pages AND an SEL 338 to the City Elections Officer who will submit them to the County Clerk for verification.
Once all of your forms have been verified and you have 20 verified signatures, your name will be submitted to the County Clerk to appear on the ballot and you will receive notification from the City Elections Officer.

STEP 4:

Campaign! Get out and meet people, speak at community groups, talk to your neighbors and friends, let them know you are running for office and why. You can do all of this without spending a penny.
If you choose to set up campaign financing, please visit: https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Pages/orestar.aspx
If you choose to distribute temporary campaign signs, please review the City of Madras sign ordinance .

BALLOT MEASURE 16-102 - PSILOCYBIN-RELATED BUSINESSES WITHIN CITY LIMITS INFORMATION

OVERVIEW:

Psilocybin is the active hallucinogenic ingredient in what are commonly referred to as magic mushrooms. In November 2020, Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the therapeutic, supervised use of psilocybin with 56% of state-wide voters approving Measure 109. Contrary to the state-wide vote, 59.4% of Jefferson County voters were against the measure, with 40.6% in favor. Measure 109 becomes effective January 1, 2023 and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) will begin accepting applications January 2, 2023.

Under Measure 109, any jurisdiction that does not refer an opt-out ballot measure to the voters in the November 2022 election will automatically approve the establishment of Service Centers and manufacturing operations of Psilocybin within their jurisdictions. Jurisdictions can adopt “reasonable regulations” on hours, locations and operation of license holders and make changes to their Development Code to control the siting of manufacturing operations. However, these may be difficult to develop and adopt prior to January 1, 2023 due to licensing and other framework not yet being completed by OHA.

At their July 26, 2022 meeting, Council reviewed several options available to them (see the July 26 meeting packet for more information), and voted to present a permanent ban to voters in November.

REFERRAL MEASURE TO VOTERS:

August 16, 2022 - At a special meeting, Council unanimously adopted Resolution 22-2022 that refers a measure to voters and Ordinance No. 970 which will implement a ban on psilocybin-related businesses within city limits should the voters pass the measure on November 8, 2022..
August 17, 2022 - Ballot Title submitted to the City Elections Officer, officially beginning the 7 business day petition period. Public Notice posted on City's website.
August 24, 2022 - Ballot Title and measure language was published in Madras Pioneer newspaper.
August 26, 2022 - Deadline to petition for appeal of the measure.
August 29, 2022 - City Elections Officer filed SEL 802 with County Clerk. Ballot Measure 16-102 will go to voters in November.