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Ashland races at stake Tuesday Monday Nov 7, 2016 at 6:34 PM Nov 7, 2016 at 6:34 PM By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings After about two weeks with ballots in hand, voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday at the latest to deposit ballots to be counted. Anyone who hasn't already mailed their ballot can drop it off at the local drop box on the alley behind the Ashland Public Library, off Gresham Street between Siskiyou Boulevard and Allison Street. Just three local government races are contested:  • Mayor, with two-term incumbent John Stromberg facing challenges from city Councilor Carol Voisin, John Greene and Biome Michael Erickson; • Councilor Position 1, with Dennis Slattery, a former city councilor, pitted against Doug Berns and Debra Neisewander; and • Councilor Position 3, with incumbent Councilor Greg Lemhouse facing off with Martin Kamenski and Theo White. Incumbent Position 5 Councilor Rich Rosenthal is the only candidate on the ballot. The two open seats for the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission have only one candidate apiece on the ballot, incumbent Jim Lewis and, for the seat currently held by Vanston Shaw, Joel Heller. Local voters also have the chance to weigh in on three measures: • Whether or not to levy a 3 percent local tax on recreational marijuana sales within city limits on top of a 17 percent statewide tax. All of the local tax and a fraction of the statewide tax will go into local government coffers. • Whether to use a portion of the local food and beverage tax to pay for local street maintenance. Funds previously were directed to pay for the sewage treatment plant and parks and recreation, but higher-than-expected revenue and savings from financing bonds have freed up funds. • An advisory measure intended to encourage the 2017 Oregon Legislature to design an improved comprehensive healthcare system for Oregon. Those who have already cast their ballot have the opportunity this year to track its receipt, Jackson County officials have announced, thanks to a partnership between the Oregon Secretary of State and Jackson County. The system, called BallotTrax, allows voters to sign up online to receive alert messages via text, phone or email when their ballot is accepted for counting. There is no charge to the voter for this service, although text message charges may apply depending on your cell phone carrier. You can sign up at www.JacksonCounty.org/MyVote to begin receiving messages on the status of your ballot. If you have any questions about this service, call the Elections Office at 541-774-6148 or email [email protected]. Email Tidings Editor Bert Etling at [email protected], call him at 541-631-1313 and follow him at www.twitter.com/betling.