Election Night 2026: Preliminary State and Jefferson County Returns

By KWSO News | Published November 3, 2026

Ballot drop boxes across Oregon closed promptly at 8:00 PM tonight, and the first unofficial election returns have been reported by the Oregon Secretary of State's Elections Division and local county election offices.

Here is where key statewide races and local Jefferson County contests stand in the initial count:

Statewide & Congressional Contests

Initial preliminary figures from the Secretary of State's office show Democratic incumbents ahead in major statewide contests, alongside an early lead for the Republican incumbent in Oregon's Second Congressional District:

Oregon Governor: Incumbent Democrat Tina Kotek leads with 52.38% of the vote over Republican challenger Christine Drazan at 44.92%.
U.S. Senate: Incumbent Democrat Jeff Merkley leads Republican challenger David Brock Smith, holding 57.18% to 40.08%.
U.S. House, District 2: In Oregon’s Second Congressional District—which includes Jefferson County, Central Oregon, and Eastern Oregon—incumbent Republican Representative Cliff Bentz leads with 60.92% over Democratic and Independent nominee Chris Beck at 38.95%.

Jefferson County Contests

Local election workers in Jefferson County have released initial tallies for contested county and municipal positions:

Jefferson County Sheriff: In the open race for sheriff, Jason Pollock leads with 5,551 votes (70.77%) over Tyler Anderson’s 2,250 votes (28.68%).
County Measure 16-118 (Jail Operations Levy): The five-year operating levy renewal is currently passing across the county with 4,792 "Yes" votes (57.19%) to 3,587 "No" votes (42.81%).
City of Madras Mayor: Jennifer Townsend leads the mayoral race with 1,023 votes (57.41%) over Travis Montgomery, who has 743 votes (41.69%).
Madras City Council (Positions 1, 2 & 3): In the six-candidate race for three council seats, Tanya Murren leads with 23.92%, followed by Tony Chard at 22.29%, and Eric Timmerman at 16.93%. GW Curtiss follows at 12.22%, Bill Robathan at 12.15%, and Mary Frances Purschwitz at 11.50%.

Most other county-level offices on the Jefferson County ballot were uncontested this election cycle.

Counting Continues

These numbers represent initial tallies and will continue to evolve. Under Oregon election law, valid mail-in ballots postmarked on or before 8:00 PM on Election Day will be accepted and processed as they arrive over the coming days. County election clerks will continue signature verification and release updated vote counts throughout the week.